Wayfaring Stranger
by eastern.meridian
Summary: Sookie flees under a changed name, having pried her nephew from the clutches of a vampire queen. They find refuge in Bon Temps, where, with the aid of an unlikely ally, she fully embraces her gift, finds love and her own place in the supernatural world.
1. Chapter 1: Gifted With A Curse

**Hello, dear readers! It is my first True Blood fic ever and I hope the story you've just opened makes a worthy addition to the fanfiction world. To readers of the fandom for which I've written so far – I'm sorry if you're disappointed. But if you also enjoy True Blood, I encourage you to give my newest baby a chance.**

_**Wayfaring Stranger**_** is an AU story centered around Sookie and Eric. I'm primarily inspired by the TV show but I will also draw from the Southern Vampire Mysteries series occasionally. There's going to be romance, drama, mystery and hopefully a healthy dose of humor.**

**I hope you enjoy the first chapter. If you do, please give me a shout out with your opinions or suggestions on how to improve the story. I'm always open to constructive criticism.**

**Kudos to my fantastic proofreader Jenny, who is a source of constant encouragement. :)**

**Without further ado…**

**Chapter 1: Gifted With A Curse**

The sky over New York was leaden while the air was annoyingly still and filled with minuscule droplets of watery chill. The dreadful weather perfectly mirrored the moods of a short line of customers crammed in the small space of a grocery store. No one was chatting or even exchanging any trivial remarks as they more or less waited patiently. Regular beeping of the cash register and perfunctory requests of the cashier set the monotonous rhythm of the world. A grainy old-fashioned TV played a talk show; a caption at the bottom of the screen constantly reminded of the day's topic - today it was "Smother me with love". A feminine voice screeched tearfully into the microphone, "In the end, I couldn't find myself in that relationship. I was drowning with him next to me not realizing a thing. He thought that love would be enough to solve all the problems. But his reassurances only made me more restless-"

"Oh, get over yourself, you spoiled bimbo!" Another voice, which clearly didn't come from the TV startled the customers out of their temporary stupor. "If you and your likes used your brains for something more than just being a jelly, my head wouldn't hurt so much!"

Every pair of eyes in the store stared at a young curvaceous blonde at the end of the queue. She instantly regretted her pitiful outburst but not because of the awkward looks she was currently receiving. She was pretty much used to being regarded as a freak, her disability guaranteed her that from early childhood. She was irked that her frustrations got the better of her, especially in front of other people. The last thing she wanted from anyone was sympathy; if there was a talk show she could appear in, it would be called "Smother me with pity".

"10 dollars, please," the cashier asked her, eyeing her warily.

She threw a wad of banknotes, grabbed her precooked Grilled Vegetables Mediterranean and sauntered out. In less than ten minutes she was up in her small apartment, heating up the meal in the microwave. She sighed with resignation as she looked around. It was high time that she snapped out of her doleful laziness. The trashcan started to smell, every surface except the bed and the sink was covered in dust and her modest metric area seemed even smaller, cluttered with objects that had been used and never returned to their rightful places.

Her late and much lamented grandmother was probably rolling in her grave. She had been an exemplary mother and housewife all her life and she passed down a lot of these qualities to her granddaughter, Sookie. Sookie could still clearly remember the old better version of herself, trying to be as happy as she could and live like her beloved grandma taught her to, until she got disenchanted with life just a little bit too much.

Her parents died in a flashflood when both she and her brother Jason were still young kids. However, their grandmother Adele took them both under her wing and short of actually having parents, there wasn't anything wanting in their lives, or in Jason's life at least. Sookie was always… different, from the day she was born. Her parents had tried to cure her out of it, out of something her teachers described as concentration problems, dyslexia, learning difficulties and whatnot. None of the adults around Sookie was willing to accept the obvious truth – that she was a telepath. Mature reasonable people just didn't believe in such things. Adele Stackhouse was much more open-minded and always supported her granddaughter but there was only so much she could help her with.

None of Sookie's peers over the years was particularly friendly with her, either because she was regarded as odd or slow. There was always something weird about that Stackhouse girl. Indeed, school environment wasn't advantageous to Sookie, but not for those reasons. Belatedly answered questions, stunning intuition and "crazy" cover-up smiles were results of numerous streams of consciousness pouring into her brain from all around, non-stop. It certainly didn't favour nurturing interpersonal relationships or academic performance.

It became easier to control with age and practice. As a teenager, Sookie learnt to "drop shields" over her mind, closing it to unwanted stimuli. Nonetheless, it wasn't perfect and tended to slip, particularly in emotional circumstances, such as romantic situations. Turned off by what her dates had on their mind, she rarely made it half an hour into a date.

Adele's sudden death caused by a stroke came as a real blow. Sookie suddenly found herself quite alone and without a confidante. She was fresh out of high school and working at a fast food restaurant nearby. But what next? She saw no enticing and feasible prospects for her future. Jason, a few years her senior and living on his own for some time now, tried to help but he never really "got her", nor was he the brightest bulb out there anyway.

Then a prospect came to her before she even started looking and for the first time, Sookie was willing to believe her curse might actually be a blessing in disguise. She was approached by the FBI, who had somehow got ahold of her interesting school records, and offered her a job. It seemed like a dream come true. It was hard work and required a lot of strenuous preparation even before she started but it meant nothing. She was hard-working and persistent; Sookie felt useful and finally in her element, nothing could deter her. She was doing something she had never even dreamed of doing for living – helping good people, taking bad guy off the streets.

But it's a sad truth that all good things come to an end. During six years she spent with the bureau, she discovered that more often than not the line between right and wrong was blurry or even non-existent. Her gift was used by her superiors for less than honorable reasons while innocent people were hurt in side-blasts. With a heart heavy with disillusion and sadness at leaving the first true friends she had made on the team, she called it quits.

That was two months ago and since then she was in the state of constant "in between". In between what? She did not know exactly. She was again at a point where she didn't see a purpose in her life. It was frighteningly empty.

A few years ago, to the great shock of human population all around the world, vampires revealed their immortal existence. It wasn't such ground breaking news for Sookie. She had often wondered what could be out there if telepaths like her walked the earth. Now she knew that also other mythical creatures existed, like demons or werewolves; she had even dated a were during her time at the FBI, which was her first and so far the last serious romantic relationship. The public was still unaware of supes other than vampires, although the government wasn't. Perhaps she should come out? Announce to all and sundry that she could read minds like open books? Write an actual book, get her own TV show, become a celebrity… Sookie laughed at her own silly thoughts as the ding ding ding of the microwave signaled that her food was ready.

She took the steaming plate to the main and only room and replayed the voicemail, not really expecting any message to be left for her. Her ex-teammates didn't have a habit of calling to ask about her health. She had no family other than Jason and their relations were rather cold since she joined the FBI. She had no other friends. Nonetheless, her voicemail was not empty. Sookie dropped her fork, making the sauce splash down her front, when she heard the vaguely familiar voice of a woman.

She would be ashamed to admit it, but she wouldn't have been able to name the owner of that voice without heavy brain wrestling hadn't the caller introduced herself.

"Sookie…?" The woman began hesitantly. "I… I know I have really no right calling you, I… It's Hadley, your cousin Hadley, if you didn't recognize me. I guess you may not, it's been a few years…" There was a slight pause filled with palpable tension.

"But… I've done a terrible thing and I have no one else to turn to. I talked to Jason a few weeks ago and… I know you've been working with… What I'm trying to say you might be able to help me thanks to your job… and also because… Sookie, I know that after running away and not giving a sign of life I don't deserve a second chance but it's not really about me, I promise it's not. I've made a lot of mistakes, lord knows, but… I beg you. If you get this message and decide to meet me, please come tomorrow noon to the public library. Don't look for me, don't ask around for me. Go to the romance section and wait for me. If you're not there tomorrow, I'll call again. If you still choose not to meet me, I'll understand. I'll give it a rest… take matters into my own hands. Thank you for listening, Sookie, hope to see you tomorrow."

Sookie continued to sit motionlessly, her dinner forgotten. That she certainly did not expect. Hadley's mother was the only sister of Corbett Stackhouse, Sookie's father. She died of cancer a few years ago, thinking that Hadley, who had escaped rehab, perished somewhere on the streets of New York having taken an overdose of anti-depressants, heroine, or whatever else she was doing at the time. They kept trying to find her for years but she disappeared without a trace, and now… after all these years, a phone call.

There wasn't a doubt in Sookie's mind about what she should do. They might not have been particularly close in the past, and Hadley's disappearance affected her aunt and grandmother greatly, but she was still family. Sure, the message sounded alarmingly cryptic but hell, she had ducked bullets in the past. Whatever trouble Hadley got herself in, she would be able to face it.

* * *

><p>The following day, midday on the dot, Sookie found herself down the romance section, anxiously anticipating the meeting with Hadley but closely following her cloak-and-dagger instructions. Her eyes lingered on the shelf with historical romance, the books seemed shamefully enticing. Her life was lacking and contained no romantic entanglements whatsoever, perhaps she should pursue them in print?<p>

"Sook… Sookie?"

She turned to her left to see a young woman standing at the end of the row, her emotions betrayed by the slightly glassy eyes and her hand clamped over her lips. Despite the passage of years, Sookie recognized her cousin. It was always implicitly agreed that Hadley was the prettier girl in the family and now Sookie had to admit that it was still very much the case. They were more or less of the same height but Hadley had softer features. She looked well-nourished too, bordering on pampered. Her skin was flawless, her golden hair luscious.

It came as a relief. Sookie was afraid that her cousin was still mixed up in drug related troubles but she was obviously doing well.

"Hadley." She could not help smiling at her long-lost relative and strode down the length of the aisle to envelop her into a hug.

"Oh, Sookie, thank you!" Hadley almost sobbed with gratitude as she reciprocated the bone-crushing embrace. "You can't even begin to imagine how much you being here means to me!"

"Hadley, you look great. Where have you been? You just… vanished. Why have you never contacted us before? Why now?"

"I'll explain everything, I promise," she assured Sookie and led her deeper into the confines of the library. "Let's just go over there. I'm sure I'm not being followed but can never be too cautious. It's better not to draw unnecessary attention."

"Hadley, what is this all about? Are you in some kind of trouble?" she asked as they both sat down in a secluded corner, lowering their voices almost to a whisper. "Silly me, how can you not be? We assumed you were no longer amongst the living…"

"And I haven't been really, not for quite some time," Hadley gave out a nervous laugh.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Sookie frowned.

"I don't have that much time but I'll try to explain everything as well as I can. When we last saw each other, was it seven… eight years ago? I was in a very dark place. My own fault, no one else's. All I cared about was getting another fix, and then another…"

"But you were doing so great?"

"I wasn't, Sook. I lied. I was a full blown addict and addicts on withdrawal would do everything and anything to feed their hunger. So I ran at the first chance I got."

"Where did you go?"

"I stayed with… some friends I'd met on my earlier sprees. I did some things I'm not proud of… in fact I'll never be able to forgive myself for some of them. But," a brief smile passed through her face, "there is one good thing that came out of it. Sookie, I got pregnant. When I first found out I thought my world was ending, I didn't even know who the father was. But when my little baby boy was born… It was the best thing that happened to me in a long time, the best thing that happened to me, period."

"You have a son?" Sookie asked gently. "I'm an aunt?"

"His name's Hunter, he just turned six. He's such a bright boy," Hadley said, her voice thick with pride for a change before turning gravely serious again. "But he's paying for my many mistakes. He was put into the system, Sook. I didn't have a job, I was a junkie. I tried to fight for him but no sane person could judge me fit to be a mother. Hunter was placed in a home."

"Hadley, why didn't you turn to us? We would have done everything-"

"I don't know." Tears started to run freely from her eyes. "I was… so ashamed. I had run… taken gran's money…"

"None of that would have mattered!"

"What's done is done, Sook," Hadley shook her head. "And that's not really why I called."

Sookie looked at her expectantly. Could this story get even worse?

"Do you know any vampires, Sookie?" Hadley asked unexpectedly.

"Vampires? What have vampires got to do with anything?"

"Everything, Sookie. I am… I am working for a vampire." She looked down at her lap, suddenly unwilling to meet her cousin's eye.

"Really?" Sookie didn't notice Hadley's discomfort as she was hit with how appealing working for a vampire might actually be. She met a few of them in her line of work and their minds were mysteriously and blissfully silent to her. She didn't even have to put up shields around them, it was very relaxing. Surely, there was this pesky glamour thing that they had going but thanks to her telepathy, she was immune. Thank god for small favours. "Maybe I should look for a vampire boss," she chuckled.

Hadley gripped her arm with an almost bruising force. "You don't know what you're talking about, Sook. They're monsters, they're dangerous… especially for you," she added weakly.

"What do you mean by especially for me? And wait a sec, why you are working for one of them if you hate them?"

"If you get in too deep, there's only one exit and I'm already in over my head." The exhausted quality of her voice made chills run down Sookie's spine. "It was a fabulous world to live in at the beginning, I admit. I was overwhelmed with it. Sophie-Anne, she picked me up from the street, gave me a roof over my head, really listened to what I had to say… I thought she cared for me but now I know that vampires don't care about anything if it's not for their personal gain. Sookie… I told her some things, I told her too many things about Hunter before I realized what a great mistake I made."

"What do you mean?"

"Sophie-Anne is the vampire queen of New York. Every state has a monarch, you see-"

"I know." She had a general knowledge of supernatural politics, it was a part of her training.

"Sophie-Anne is a collector. She collects houses, jewellery… humans…"

"I'm sorry? Humans?"

"Don't let that smooth-tongued vampire bitch on TV fool you, Sook. They're not people with fangs, on a strict diet. They're selfish, arrogant and vicious monsters, trust me, I know."

"Okay," Sookie nodded to appease her cousin. She didn't believe that all vampires were baddies though, despite what Hadley was trying to convince her of. It wasn't like all people were good either. She had taken part in investigations of crimes committed by humans that were more monstrous than any vampire she had encountered. "Let's go back to Hunter?"

"Right, Hunter is different… No, that came out wrong. Hunter is special, Sookie. He's like you," she confessed in a barely audible whisper.

"He's… like me?" Sookie repeated slowly.

"He has your ability, Sookie."

"Are you sure?" She asked a little breathlessly; she had met vampires, weres, witches even, but never anyone quite like herself. And to think there was another telepath in such close quarters, within her own family!

"I'm positive. Which is why Sophie-Anne wants him."

"For his… gift?" Sookie asked even if the question sounded lame in her own ears. She simply wasn't comfortable discussing that particular disability with other people.

"Of course! Do you know how valuable it is for vampires, especially those greedy for power? It would give her an enormous advantage over her enemies in her power struggles, in her business dealings… telepaths are rare!"

For the first time, Sookie began to feel slightly uneasy; like her eyes were being opened to a completely new and unexpected threat.

"But he is just a child, he surely can't control it with success."

"Doesn't matter, she's thinking ahead. She thinks the sooner she turns him into her slave, the better."

"Hadley… Is that what you are? A slave?"

"Again, Sookie, it doesn't matter. I made my bed, now I have to sleep in it. But my son… I want better for him, I want him to be happy. He can't pay for my mistakes."

"Hadley," Sookie began with a suddenly thundering heart. "Have you told the queen anything about me?"

"No! I swear I didn't say a word. When I met her I told her I had no family, I was trying to convince myself more than her. She might have done her own research, I wouldn't put it past her but even if she did, she didn't find anything. I would know, she talks about Hunter all the time but has never mentioned you. You're safe."

"Good, that's good." Sookie breathed out with relief. "What are her plans towards Hunter? And how do you think I can help? Do you want me to make sure the FBI gets involved?"

"Going to the authorities is useless. Even if they took all of this seriously, they wouldn't find anything suspicious. It's a very simple but effective plan Sophie has come up with. She just needs a couple of people glamoured and I will have the custody over Hunter, but make no mistake, this is just a smokescreen. She would have all the control over his life. As long as he's within her reach, he's in danger."

"Within her reach meaning inside the state, right? I could use my contacts, we could get you both moved out of New York and put into a safe place, like a witness protection program."

"You think the FBI would just roll with it?" Hadley laughed bitterly. "Without the glamour I have no chance of ever gaining custody of him, and the time and paperwork it would take to try… The queen would have me punished and Hunter taken to the court within an hour after she got wind of it."

"Fine, then," Sookie frantically sought another solution. "I will get the two of you fake papers. Screw the law if it's against you."

"Thank you, hon," Hadley smiled and squeezed her hand gratefully, "but that's impossible as well. Hunter needs to leave the state as soon as he can, that's for sure but… but I can't. I had the queen's blood, she'd be able to track me."

Sookie nodded, it was all a lot of information to take in but it was crucial she kept up. Then another alarming thought crossed her mind. "Won't she know you were here and be suspicious?"

"Oh, I told her about my planned outing. Don't worry, I know what I'm doing… at least in this instance." She let out a faint somber giggle before turning serious. " I've had it all planned out for weeks. I've been going to the library for the last two months trying to establish a safe and inconspicuous place to meet. I always borrow a handful of Harlequins." She shrugged. "The queen even came to like them when- Anyway," she cleared her throat, "what I really hoped was that you might know someone… somebody you trusted, who could take Hunter from here and keep him safe. Somebody that would be fine to be around him… and his abilities."

Sookie contemplated her answer in silence, even though a storm of emotions was raging inside her. She felt an inexplicable urge to throw herself into the middle of this mess. The situation was alarmingly similar to when she got the offer from the bureau. She dived headfirst into it then as well, landing painfully on her ass. Was it selfish or presumptuous to feel that only she could understand and help Hunter? The decision would have serious implications and having defied both human and vampire authorities, there would be no way back.

"Will I do?" She grinned at Hadley who looked as though she couldn't believe her ears.

"Sookie… I'm not asking you to do that…"

"I'm offering," she replied lightly. "I know the risks I'm taking, or at least I think I do. I know how he must feel, Hadley, and I can help him deal with it. I wish I'd had someone who knew what it was to be like me when I was growing up."

"You… you would do that for him? What about your life?"

"I'm completely unattached to anything, job or boyfriend. Jason doesn't need me. I want to do this," Sookie assured with deep conviction.

"Thank you!" Hadley momentarily forgot all about staying cautious and threw her arms around her cousin, streams of hot tears flowing down her cheeks.

"It's okay, hon. Everything's going to be okay. Now, you need to tell me everything you know about the queen and her intentions, anything at all you can think of."

When they parted an hour and a half later, Sookie had all the basic facts she needed and a plan was already shaping up in her head.

* * *

><p>Sookie checked another item on her 'to do' list. She had just bought a special gun and a supply of wooden bullets from Steve Newlin's self-defense collection. She was mentally repulsed with herself, Newlin's Fellowship of the Sun always smelled of fanatics. But there was no other way, she was going to defy a very important vampire. In just a few days' time, a little boy's life would depend on her survival skills. She needed to defend Hunter and herself.<p>

Another step that she had to do consisted in calling a certain person who she hadn't spoken to in months. She wasn't particularly ecstatic about it, there was so much history between them. However, regardless of their issues, he was the one she could trust with her situation, or at least a part of it. She wasn't going to drag him into this whole affair. She chose the number and was greeted by the answering machine.

"Tiger Tiger, burning bright, in the forests of the night. What immortal hand or eye could frame thy fearful symmetry?"

Sookie rolled her eyes; if egos could be measured in weight, her ex's would sink the entire continent.

"Really, Quinn? Did you think that was witty? Cause anyone not in on the secret would just think you lost your marbles."

There was a click and she heard his real voice this time. "But the joke would still be on them, wouldn't it? Sookie, what a surprise… If I remember correctly-"

"Is this line secure?" she interrupted him.

"It is," he answered in a much more sober tone. He sensed something was off.

"I need a favour." He would probably think she was crazy but she didn't have hours to prepare him for what she'd got to say, she wouldn't beat around the bush.

"Babe, I'm at your service…" His voice was once again dripping with subtext. He had never fully accepted her decision to break up. It wasn't easy on her too, but there were just so many reasons that relationship wouldn't work in the long-term.

"This isn't a social call, Quinn. This… favour involves pulling some strings at the bureau."

"Are you in some kind of trouble? Is someone you know in trouble?" Sookie smiled softly, he knew her character only too well.

"I need a new ID."

"For whom?"

"For me."

"What the hell-"

"Let me finish, please. Actually, I need a whole new identity, everything, history, background, all that paperwork for me and a six-year-old boy."

"What the fuck is going on?" he asked, his temper flaring.

"It's better that you don't know. I don't want you involved."

"Shit, I'm already involved!"

"Okay, then. I'm sorry I took your time for no reason, I'll-"

"Damn, Sook, I'm involved because I lo-"

"John! Please, don't! Let's not go back there. Listen, I'd appreciate if you helped me. But if you can't, it's fine."

"Stop, I never said I wouldn't help. I'm simply worried. You don't call for months, and now you're requesting a new identity. Can you blame me for trying to get to the bottom of this?"

"No, no, I can't," she admitted gently. "I would do the same for you. And you're right, you deserve an explanation. I'm trying to help someone get out of a vampires' radar."

"That kid?"

"Yeah, my nephew."

"I didn't know you had a nephew."

"It's a long story, trust me. The important thing is that he's in danger and I'm taking him out of the state."

"Fucking bloodsuckers," he cursed in obvious frustration. Weres and vampires didn't really mix.

"Can I count on you?"

"Where will you be heading?"

"Lousiana, the Pelican State vamps aren't particularly friendly to the residents of New York." Sookie was well aware that she was leaving out a lot of backstory but Quinn didn't have to know she was royally screwed, literally, or that she was first going to virtually kidnap her future protégé. "It would be best if I didn't stand out as an outsider."

"Can you pull off a southern drawl?" he almost chuckled.

"You know I'm good with languages. It will require a bit of self-discipline not to slip but I'll be just fine." She had been surprised to discover that she was actually talented linguistically when she was sent on a language course for the job. Maybe it had something to do with listening to people talking constantly, whether out loud or in their heads.

"When do you need it?"

"By the end of the week?" Time was of the essence. Hadley managed to convince Sophie-Anne to wait until the school year was over so as not to raise suspicions. Sookie didn't have that luxury; she would draw more attention when it would be noticed Hunter was missing from school but there was no other way.

"I'll see what I can do," promised Quinn. There was no doubt in Sookie's mind that he would have the papers ready much sooner than she asked for.

"Are you sure there's no way I can talk you out of it or at least do something else?"

"I'm a big girl, Quinn, you know that. I can take care of myself."

She had to if she intended to cope with what laid in store for her. Yesterday she didn't have a purpose in life, today she was planning to commit a crime; and the ride was just beginning…

**Note to readers: Sookie is by no means going to be a vampire slayer of any sorts. She is still very open-minded but on the side of caution.  
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**In chapter 2 we meet Eric while Sookie executes her plan of rescuing Hunter. :)**

**Anxiously awaiting your opinions,**

**Em**


	2. Chapter 2: The Great Escape

**Hello, fangbangers! :)**

**I was very much relieved with your encouraging response to the first chapter of the story. I'm always a little nervous when posting a new fic, and this time it's also a new fandom for me.**

**Thank you for all your reviews and adding _Wayfaring Stranger_ to story alert/ favourite list. Hope the story meets your expectations. Now, Eric enter the scene…**

**Chapter 2: The Great Escape**

"Oh, yes!" Deep moans filled the small office at the back of Fangtasia - the most fashionable vampire bar in Shreveport, Louisiana. Even though a sign on the entrance door clearly stipulated that no biting was allowed on the premises, the rules didn't seem to apply in the staff area; or perhaps they just didn't apply to the owner of the establishment, whose fangs were currently sunk deep into the neck of a gorgeous strawberry blonde.

"Yes, baby, yes!"

The vampire released a clearly unnecessary sigh of resignation and withdrew his fangs, his large cool hand stopping its journey under the blonde's dress.

"Baby? I'm over thousand years old."

"Oh, I'm sorry!" The blonde said hastily feeling him losing interest. It was the first time she had come to Fangtasia with friends and the sexiest vampire she had ever seen picked her! No way was she going to be dismissed now, not before she'd see what was beneath that black wife beater of his. "I can call you whatever you like!"

The whiney note in her voice irked him more than her infantile terms of endearment. Humans had become so boring and mundane, just like the rows and rows of products in supermarkets ready to be used. The Great Revelation was hugely profitable to vampires, especially financially, but it killed the excitement of stalking and apprehending the prey. Of course he would feed and fuck but it hardly left him truly sated these days. He gave the woman in his lap another look. She was classier than Fangtasia's usual patrons and looked utterly delicious. It would be a shame to pass up on the occasion just because she was a complete idiot. He would simply glamour her into being afraid and enjoy sinking his fangs and cock into her fear. Her screams would drown out in the music blasting in the bar, and even if they were heard, no one would bother to check the source of the commotion. No one ever did…

He grabbed the woman's chin a bit roughly in his fingers and reveled in how her eyes had suddenly turned anxious.

Before he could work his influence over her mind, the door burst open causing the girl to flinch, and another blonde walked in. But this one was a vampire, dressed in a tight black leather dress.

"What?" he snapped at her.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Eric. Did I interrupt something? No, I don't think so." The regret was evident in her tone.

"Pam," he growled at her, he didn't like being disturbed.

"Aren't you going to invite me to join?" she asked with a smirk, her eyes scrutinizing the human with lewd approval. The girl looked at Eric with pleading eyes; she was adventurous enough to have a one-night stand with a vampire but obviously the idea of a triangle repulsed her.

Eric's expression turned leery as he pretended to contemplate Pam's suggestion. "It has been long since we last shared…"

The woman jumped up to her feet, wide-eyed, and tore towards the door calling them perverts and eliciting chuckles out of both of them.

"What is it, Pam?" He sensed there was a matter they couldn't discuss in front of the human.

"I've just got off the line with the king," she replied turning back to him after watching the backside of the blonde disappear back into the bar. "You have a package to collect and deliver to New Orleans. He and Edgington are enjoying themselves in Louisiana for two weeks."

It was only due to a millennium of schooling his emotions that Eric didn't let his frustrations show.

"What is it this time? Diamond slippers?"

"He didn't say," Pam shrugged with disinterest. "You're to meet Franklin at the usual spot."

"Little fuck," hissed Eric. Having Franklin Mott in your area always ended up in some kind of disaster. He was unpredictable and prone to infatuation with humans that almost always ended up in the death of the human involved. As the sheriff of area 5, Eric had already had the displeasure of covering his tracks after Mott butchered one of his 'soul mates' in Shreveport. King Talbot loathed him but his husband Russell, who had Mississippi in his purview, valued him as an investigator, and Russell Edgington was the one to wear pants in that relationship.

"You'll go," Eric ordered Pam. What else did he have progeny for if not for delegating menial tasks?

"You are to take care of this personally, direct orders from the king," she grinned smugly as he rose from his seat and threw a black leather jacket over himself. "You know, perhaps if you stopped playing so hard to get with Talbot, he might find another bitch. I could watch…"

He didn't grace her with another answer other than "You're coming along. Long Shadow will stay in charge of the bar."

"I'm wearing a new pair of pumps, I haven't broken them in," she said lazily.

"Do you want me to break them for you?" he asked in a sweet tone that meant he'd hear no further complaint.

* * *

><p>"Is that all?" Eric asked with an unreadable expression on his face as he peered inside the trunk of Franklin's car to see an antique Greek vase depicting two young men engaged in a sexual act. A Viking prince and a thousand year old vampire, and this was what he was being reduced to – a smuggler of homoerotic antiquities.<p>

"Is that all? Is that all he asks?" Franklin felt personally offended and was on the brink of a temper tantrum. "No, it's bloody well not all. I stole that piece of historic shit from a museum in Boston and got it across ten state lines, no trouble whatsoever."

Eric's eyebrow rode up imperceptibly in skepticism. Franklin Mott and no trouble was an oxymoron, emphasis on moron. And sure enough, Mott spoke up again, "I met some pesky humans in West Virginia but they didn't live to tell the tale."

At least it wasn't area 5, Louisiana. Not Eric's problem to clean the mess Franklin undoubtedly left behind.

"Now, do they make those in women's line?" Pam glanced appreciatively at the male embrace adorning the ancient vase. "It would look terrific in my bedroom… There's a car coming," she said, her voice suddenly turning from affected to alert. Even though the night was still absolutely silent to the human ear, Eric lowered the trunk's door.

"Should I cause a little accident?" Pam asked excitedly.

"Stay put," Eric ordered. He didn't need any more dead humans turning up like a bad penny in his area, especially in Bon Temps, on the road to which they were currently stationed. That little Podunk town was more trouble than it was worth, three women had already been murdered and the crimes were being associated with vampires. Nan Flanagan, the vampire league's spokesperson and PR specialist was a pain in the ass about it and she was not even close to Eric's type.

At long last, a jalopy of a car appeared from around the turn and passed them, leaving a little quicker than it came.

"It's just the shifter, Merlotte. He won't cause trouble," Eric remarked disinterestedly before going back to their business.

"Merlotte?" Franklin said pensively. "Just like the bar I intend to stop by before leaving your lovely area."

Eric was immediately inches before him, towering over him with his fangs down. "You will leave instantly after I reload the delivery to my car, no dawdling on your way out. Is that clear?"

Franklin stared at him for a moment, baring his own fangs, before admitting his inferiority in age and strength. He turned away, withdrawing his fangs with a pout as he stamped his foot. "You're no fun."

They wasted no more time in getting the cargo into Eric's car.

"Pam, you'll see Franklin out. Be fast, another car is coming." The usually empty road leading to Bon Temps was sure busy tonight.

"Yes, Eric," she nodded without a word of protest. When it came to business, she was extremely loyal and always ready to do anything for her maker.

Hardly had Franklin's car had a chance to drift away, when a silver SUV appeared in his line of vision, much like the shifter's truck had mere minutes before.

The car sped by fast; usually, it wouldn't be fast enough for the driver to evade Eric's supernatural vision. And yet, somehow, the first and the last thing Eric noticed this time was a pair of eyes. He felt as if it had been that clichéd "they locked eyes" moment but the blue orbs belonging to the woman behind the steering wheel were inexplicably arresting. There was nothing physically unusual about them, either in shape or colour, except perhaps their size. They were sensuously big and expressive, and they seemed to pierce right through him like silver bullets.

Eric followed the car with his eyes until it disappeared around another turning. He felt an urge to learn more about the owner of those eyes but unfortunately, it had to wait. Talbot was surely impatient to get his hands on his newest toy. He probably wouldn't be let on his way back to Shreveport without a bowl of blood bisque infused with rose petals and a yawn inducing dose of wooing from Talbot. Still, he wasn't the worst king to endure and was better than most. He didn't interfere with his sheriffs' affairs as administrative work bored him. And as Louisiana was mainly his playground received as an anniversary gift from his three thousand years old husband Russell, the risk of hostile takeover was minimal.

* * *

><p><strong>TWO DAYS PRIOR<strong>

The zero hour had finally come. The last few days passed in a nervous but meticulous preparation. Sookie was careful to close all the loopholes, erase any clues leading to her identity and Hunter's future fate, and to ensure their safety.

She withdrew all her savings and closed her accounts. She wasn't happy about carrying all her funds on her but at least she wouldn't be tracked via card history. She left her apartment in Jason's care to use as he wished. Jason, he didn't take the news of her impending departure well but, miraculously, it brought them closer than they had been for years. She didn't even suspect that her brother had taken her departure to work with the FBI so hard and they both shed a few tears now that she was leaving again. She felt guilty about lying to him outright – she informed him she was going to Mexico - but it was for his own sake. When she would be able to apologize to him, or just see his face again, she didn't have a faintest clue.

Saying goodbye to Quinn wasn't easy either. He came the day before to her apartment with the promised documents and they shared a passionate kiss. Sookie was close to giving in and indulging in some quality goodbye sex but she stopped herself with the last shred of her sanity. She would only do both of them a disservice allowing them to fall back between the sheets.

Sookie shook herself up from her musings, once again she silently went through her plans and, as inconspicuously as she could, got out of her car with a plain carton box under her arm. The delivery people were right on time with supplies for the school canteen, unloading the truck at the back gate. Having considered all the pros and cons, Sookie decided to grab Hunter from the school rather than the home he was currently placed in. It would be easier for her to blend in unnoticed and later escape the attention of Sophie-Anne's day person stationed only at the main entrance to the school. The home was watched much more closely and at night, the queen's personal procurers guarded the boy's "safety".

Sookie adjusted her sandy coverall, pushed her matching baseball cap lower to shield at least a part of her face, and followed the back of the last delivery guy through the open gate to the school. The security guard at the door was none the wiser. Once inside she discretely separated from the group and crossed the silent hallway looking for a bathroom. She came across a janitor's room first and decided it was an even better option.

At top speed, she shed the delivery jumpsuit and donned the cleaner's uniform she brought in the box under a stack of vegetables. The baseball cap had to go but she put on a horrid pair of big horn-rimmed glasses and false teeth that changed the contours of her face beyond recognition. She stashed the box deep into a corner what no one had obviously looked in for ages and walked out, a mop in her hand.

So far so good. She managed to access the building with ease and change disguises. If she could only get some info as to which classroom Hunter was having his lessons so she could get ahold of him right away when the break started…

"You there!"

A chill ran down her back. There was no doubt she was the one being addressed in the otherwise empty hallway.

She turned back slowly, wearing a smile that probably came out a bit too much on the crazy side. "Yes?" Her voice was almost squeaky.

"You are new, aren't you?" An impeccably groomed middle-aged woman peered at her critically as she struggled to keep her cool. The ID badge pinned to the lapel of her jacket told Sookie she was facing the principal.

"I… I am."

"Well, then don't just stand here doing nothing. That's not what you're getting paid for. Go to the canteen, it's almost lunchtime."

"Right… right away, ma'am," Sookie lisped out and turned to scurry away.

"One more thing," the woman stopped her again. "Next time, wear your ID where I can see it. That's one of the basic rules."

"Yes, ma'am."

Sookie breathed out with relief when she was let go without any further investigation. She followed the smell of food being cooked, it would be unwise to stray around the school with the principal hounding around. Perhaps she could fish Hunter out at lunch.

She waited with baited breath, mopping up the floor here and there, as the room slowly filled with students. She scanned the crowd of younger pupils looking for similarity to the photo of the boy Hadley had left with her but it was a difficult task given that she had never met him before. She was also anxious about his reaction. Even though Hadley was supposed to tell him a little about her, he was a six-year-old child and she was a stranger.

Once the tumult of the lunch hour settled down a bit, Sookie studied the younger students. Finally, her eyes fell on a short boy sitting alone at the end of a long table, visibly excluded. She concentrated at him as she formed the words in her mind.

"_Hunter, Hunter, can you hear me?"_

To her delight, he looked up from his plate curiously glancing around. He seemed visibly troubled that someone was calling his name yet he couldn't tell who.

"_It's okay, sweetie, don't be afraid."_

"_Who are you? Are you talking only in my head?"_

Sookie smiled, he was a smart boy. _"Yes, only you can hear me. I have the same ability you have and I'm your auntie."_

"_Aunt Sookie? Mommy said you would come for me, is that you?"_ he thought at her excitedly and looked around eagerly, searching for her face in the crowd. Sookie was relieved that Hadley got a chance to say goodbye to her son. When they parted in the library, she wasn't certain she'd receive permission to leave the queen's mansion again so soon. It was also helpful that Hadley managed to throw in her recommendation; Hunter wasn't caught completely unawares.

"_Yes, I'm your aunt Sookie. I was dying to meet you since your mom told me all about you."_

"_Are you really going to take me away from here? I hate the school and the home too. No one likes me. They think I'm a freak."_

"_You're not, honey, you're just special."_

"_Like you?"_

"_Like me,"_ Sookie admitted but her eyes were prickling unpleasantly and it wasn't because of the glasses. She always regarded telepathy as a curse but it didn't have to be so for Hunter. _"Do you want to come with me?"_ she asked with a wildly beating heart.

"_Of course I want to come with you! Please!"_ He sounded almost scared she would leave him alone again. _"Can we go now?"_

"_We'll leave very soon, sweetie. Now listen carefully. Do you know where the emergency exit is? The one close to the gymnasium?"_

"_Yeah!"_

"_When you finish your lunch, go there and I'll meet you. Just finish your food, there's a long drive ahead of us."_

She chuckled seeing him dig into his meal with a newfound energy. One would think he was ravenous. He finished in no time at all, carried back his tray and trotted out to the meeting point, Sookie inconspicuously following him. He was looking left and right, impatient to see her.

"Hunter?" she said quietly as she approached him. Students were still milling in the corridor around them and she couldn't raise any suspicions yet.

His eyes went as wide as saucers when he took in her appearance. She supposed the disguise as a cleaning lady didn't make her seem very attractive.

"Hunter, it's- Damn," she let a curse slip as she took out the dentures. The lisp was driving her mad.

"Wow, fake teeth!"

"Shhh, no one can know I'm not a real cleaning lady, certainly not that security guard at the door."

"So how we will get out?" Again, Sookie was impressed with his intelligence. She bit on her lip doing some quick thinking. It wouldn't be hard to move him with a false pretext but as soon as he realized it was a lie, he'd infallibly investigate why an adult cleaning lady would lie to him. She sighed, her parental career wasn't starting smoothly…

"Hunter, dear… Would you mind telling… a really small lie to that mister at the door? We have to get out soon and he won't let us…"

"Ok!"

"Ok, tell him that boys are fighting in the canteen and that a teacher asked for him to help."

"Ok," he nodded and asked in all seriousness, "should I pretend to cry too?"

She stifled down a chuckle. "You might."

Hunter's performance went without a hitch. As soon as the guard took off at a run Sookie locked Hunter's hand with hers to walk him out. With the last stroke of brilliance she overturned a cup of coffee so the contents spilled all over the man's desk and chair; now it all looked like one big juvenile prank.

She didn't even dare to breathe a full breath until she was ripping off the glasses from her face and pulling away, with Hunter strapped safely in the backseat.

"That was so cool!" he exclaimed excitedly as she navigated out of the city as fast as the speed limits allowed her. "And, wow, you are really pretty! I'm sorry I thought you were ugly before."

"Apology accepted." She smiled but only faintly; the topic she was about to broach wasn't easy. "Hunter, honey, what we just did… lying is bad."

"I know, mommy told me so."

"You're a good boy, Hunter. Telling lies is bad… But sometimes, you have to lie to protect yourself or someone you love. At school, we were protecting each other, so we're justified. You don't need to feel bad about it, okay?"

"Okay, aunt Sookie!" Then he asked, deep in thought, "We're protecting each other… So, do you love me, aunt Sookie?"

She felt her throat burning a little. "Yes, sweetie, I love you," she almost whispered. It was a bit of a surprise for her that she indeed loved that little lost boy with a sudden unconditional love that she had never thought she was capable of. She would happily bask in that feeling a tad longer but unfortunately, she had to go back to the discussion of lying.

"Hunter, we will have to some more pretending, not just today, but in the next few weeks."

"To protect each other?"

"Yes, sweetie, that is exactly why. We will have to pretend we have different names. My name is going to be Shelby Pellerin."

"News names sounds kinda cool but…" he trailed off making an unsure face that worried Sookie.

"What is it, sweetie? You can tell me."

"Uhm, there was a dog at the home, aunt Sookie. He was called Shelby."

She couldn't help but chuckle. "Did you like him?" Hunter nodded his head as a smile graced his features. "Well, then I don't mind sharing a name with a dog."

"Can I choose my own new name, aunt Sook- aunt Shelby?"

"I'm sorry, sweetie, a friend of mine has already chosen the names for me and for you. We're going to call you Joshua Pellerin in front of other people."

"It sounds very serious." Hunter appeared a bit disgruntled.

"Think of it this way, at least you weren't named after a dog," she chuckled. "And Josh isn't so bad. Hunter, there's something else. We're going away from New York and while we're not home, we have to pretend that I'm your mom," she said hesitantly, uncertain how he would take that piece of information. "So that anyone doesn't take you away. You don't have to call me mom or anything," she added hastily. "Just when somebody asks that's what we have to say. Are… are you okay?"

"I'm sad mom can't come with us."

"Me too. But she loves you very much and that's why she needs to stay in New York, to protect you."

Soon they were out of the city and able to change vehicles. Sookie parted with her old little car not without regret, but it was necessary. She was leaving it unlocked; someone would eventually claim it as theirs. Sookie was relieved to get out of the cleaner's outfit at long last and into her own clothes and they boarded a silver slightly used SUV Quinn had helped her to acquire and which she had left in the parking space the previous night. All the necessary things for the road and the beginning of their new life were already in there. Again thanks to Quinn's aid, the car already bore Louisiana number plates, having presumably been registered in Baton Rouge.

They made as few stops along the way as possible and it was already way past midnight and it was almost halfway to their destination that Sookie stopped at a roadside motel. Using her fake identity for the first time was nerve-wracking but everything went over swiftly, not a curious look, not a single suspicious question asked. After all the day's excitement Hunter was out like a light; if only she had found sleep so easy that night…

Before bed, she put to use a hair-dye she had bought before the departure. She flinched when a never seen before brown haired woman looked at her from the mirror. It was a new Sookie… No, actually, on a second thought, it wasn't. Sookie stayed back in New York. This was Shelby, Shelby Pellerin.

The entire next day passed as a blur of states they drove through. It was already very late into the night when they reached the place that Sookie had envisioned as their temporary new home – a small backwater town of Bon Temps. According to the map of the States, Bon Temps was just in that light coloured area which meant it was the least vampire-populated part of Louisiana. Not that she necessarily thought that all the vampires were after their blood, she simply needed to stay on the side of the air of caution. She didn't foresee a problem with housing. After a small internet research and several phone calls she reached a man that owned several real estates in the town and luckily, was understanding enough to agree to show her a house in slightly less conservative circumstances. Apparently, he was a bar owner and was thus accustomed to pulling long hours.

As Sookie rolled into the road leading directly to Bon Temps, it turned out that fate seemed to have played a trick on her, laughing itself silly at her careful preparations. There was some kind of expensive car parked by the side of the road, its lights out. But more importantly, there was a man standing next to it with his hand placed on the closed trunk so casually it screamed protectiveness. Her Good Samaritan nature urged Sookie to slow down and ask whether he needed help. Another look at the stranger informed her she should well keep her mouth shut and drive.

He was tall, blonde, and as a soft glow surrounding his skin told her, dead. Their eye contact lasted merely a few seconds but his stare was so intense, she felt as if someone had turned up the heating in the car.

She squirmed as she looked up into the rear view mirror to see him standing motionless as if he was watching her go. What the hell was that? A sign, prediction, bad omen? She was a fugitive from vampires but ironically, the gatekeeper welcoming her to her new life was one of them…

**In chapter 3: Sookie and Eric's paths cross for the second (and longer ;) time**

**In the meantime, comments make me happy and inspired. Any suggestion always welcome!**

**Have a great weekend, folks,**

**Em **


	3. Chapter 3: Dead Wrong

**Evening, dear readers!**

**As always, thank you for all your support and please, keep it coming. There is nothing more motivating for a fic author than readers' feedback.**

**One of you asked about Bill, he is going to appear in the story soon I'm afraid. ;) In fact he has already been mentioned, not by name though.**

**Hope you enjoy!**

**Chapter 3: Dead Wrong**

It took a moment for Sookie to push her brief encounter with the mysterious vampire out of her mind. Thank god that Hunter was deeply asleep, his infinite curiosity of a child would surely lead to a lengthy discussion she'd rather avoid in her current frame of mind. A voice in the back of her head was telling her that she should get as far away from this place as she could at once; that she was running precisely into what she was trying to leave behind. However, the angel, or perhaps the devil, on her other shoulder was arguing that not every single person you meet at a Sunday mass is a good Christian, and not every vampire was a self-seeking killer.

Although… what else could that blondie have stashed in his car's trunk other than a black plastic bag with a corpse inside? She chuckled quietly at her own silliness as she rolled into the driveway leading up to a traditionally looking two-story house. A truck was already parked close to the porch and a man was standing with his back propped against it and his thumbs hooked under the belt hoops. He was wearing jeans, a flannel shirt and a pair of leather boots – so far her stereotype of a typical man of the South was being confirmed.

He pushed himself off the car as she pulled up, allowing her to get a good look at him in the shaft of light coming from the porch lamp. He had a gentle kind face with a dark five o'clock shadow and a mane of mousey hair that could do with a trim. Sookie noticed with curiosity that his thoughts were more difficult to read than your average person's, which suggested he was some kind of a supernatural, a were in all likelihood. She usually stayed out of other people's minds if she could help it, for the sake of all parties involved. This time, she assumed the invasion of privacy was justified. Even though she was confident in her self-defense skills, she was meeting a stranger in the dead of the night, with an innocent child sleeping in the backseat of her car.

She opened the door slightly and took the hand he offered, getting a disjointed stream of thoughts and impressions. She read his relief at how normal she looked and his appreciation of her looks… She quickly let go of his hand, she didn't need or want to hear more. He held no hostile intentions towards her and that was all that mattered. She felt comforted by his being a supe though and for the first time it hit her that she felt as if she belonged in a supernatural world. Maybe telepathy made her a part of this world without her even realizing. Perhaps she and Hunter belonged in this world in a way much more profound than Hadley's actions could even begin to involve them. Suddenly, Bon Temps felt just like the place to explore that mystery.

"Sam Merlotte," the man introduced himself with a smile. "The owner of the house."

"Shelby Pellerin, we talked over the phone." She hoped her southern accent was believable.

"Nice to meet you. Did you have a safe journey?" His eyes swept the car with interest.

"Yes, thank you. Also, I want you to know how grateful I am to you for meeting me at such an inconvenient hour."

"Nah, that's no trouble at all. It's still within my working hours, my bar is not even closed yet. So, shall we?" He gestured towards the house.

Sookie nodded and rounded the car to extract a slumbering Hunter from the backseat.

"That's your boy?"

"Yep, that's Josh," she replied with as much pride as she could muster up and it really wasn't all that hard. "He's the apple of my eye."

"Is it just the two of you or…?" Sam asked as they proceeded into the house. Sookie was almost certain that he wasn't asking only as her potential future landlord.

"It's just the two of us against the world. Actually, that's why we're here so late, we wanted to avoid saying goodbye to someone…" she trailed off and cleared her throat meaningfully. It was only a partial lie. "I mean, I have the sole custody but some men are just a law unto themselves."

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry-"

"It's okay. If I'm going to live here, you should know these things."

She looked around the rooms and equipment and she was quite satisfied with what she was seeing. The rent was reasonable too; she wouldn't get a decent one-room apartment back in New York for the same sum.

"I bought the house at the tax auction, the previous owner had died recently. Been in his family for generations but he was the last in the line, a confirmed bachelor at that. I do have a more conveniently equipped house closer to the center, you know. At the time you called I wasn't sure if I could rent it so fast after Dawn… Well, it's available, we could go see it tonight even?"

"I like this one. It has a character, a soul." And it was quicker to get to the interstate if a situation requiring an immediate evacuation arose.

"I've practically just bought this one and intended to do some necessary repairs on it."

"That's okay, no problem."

"Great, then we'll draw all the paperwork tomorrow, well it's today already."

"Sounds good to me."

"Listen, you can stay for the remainder of the night. There's not even a bed and breakfast in Bon Temps and I won't have you sleep in the car with your boy."

"Thank you, Mr. Merlotte."

"Sam… it's just Sam."

"Okay then," she gave him a grateful smile. "Call me Shelby."

"I'll be on my way then. I'll pop in with the contract at… noon? You'll be up and awake by then? And, again I'm sorry if I'm prying, but do you have your eyes set on a job here already?"

"I haven't had the time to look yet but I will start tomorrow. In the worst case scenario I can go for a month or two just with my savings… but if you have heard about some opening… anywhere…"

"I have, actually. I'm a waitress short at my bar – Merlotte's. I don't know if you're overqualified for the job…" Sookie couldn't help but admire the guy's gift of the gab; he could sneak a subtle compliment into anything.

"I am so not overqualified," she chuckled. That was the absolute truth; she had restaurant work both in her real and fake résumé. "Looks like you killed two birds with one stone and got yourself a tenant and a waitress in one go."

They parted in smiles but Sookie wasn't sure she thoroughly liked the slightly hopeful expression in Sam's eyes. She wasn't looking for romance; that was one of the things that she didn't have a place for in her current life. Nonetheless, she was in no position to look a gift horse in the mouth. Job offers didn't grow on trees in a town the size of Bon Temps.

She heard Hunter stirring awake where she left him on the couch in the living room and hurried to his side.

"Aunt Sookie, where are we?" he asked sleepily, rubbing his eyes.

"We're… I think we're home, sweetie."

* * *

><p>"Welcome to the zoo, hookah!"<p>

"Thanks," Sookie laughed out loud at the line she was just greeted with by the Merlotte's cook, Lafayette. He was such a riot with his unique sense of humour and sexually suggestive way of clothing.

She had been in Bon Temps for just two days, during which she managed to unpack, make the house look quite homey and go through a list of things with Hunter that they were supposed to say if someone asked them any questions about their past. She also started to work with him on his shields. She was positive that with her help he'd be able to successfully develop them a lot quicker than she had on her own.

Right now he was digging in at his dinner whilst Sam was giving her a tour around her new workplace. She was quite impressed; the bar seemed clean, neat and well-organized. It had an amicable ambiance of small-town familiarity as well. She liked the people she was supposed to work with. She had already known Sam was a great reliable stable kind of guy. Now she'd also met Lafayette Reynolds and the other cook – Terry Bellefleur who was a little jumpy due to his war experiences but definitely had his heart in the right place.

The bar had three other waitresses. Arlene was a dyed red-head with two children and more husbands under her belt than she could count. Some crude slip-ups told Sookie she had rather conservative opinions on many things but she wasn't intentionally rude. Sookie certainly wouldn't say no to getting into the babysitting agreement that Arlene had with Holly – a waitress she had yet to meet who was also a single mother.

"Jessica should be here any minute now, the sun set half an hour ago."

If Sookie thought that statement sounded a little weird, it all made perfect sense with the waitress's arrival. Jessica turned out to be a beautiful red-headed vampire, which was a surprise given the animosity between vampires and weres. It was difficult to tell her age when she was turned, but she must have been very young.

Jessica was all smiles and politeness. "Hi, Shelby, it's nice to meet you!"

When she stopped closer, her fangs sprang down suddenly, making Sookie flinch.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Jessica gave her and Sam a nervous smile that made her look a ted grotesque before she covered her mouth with her hand trying to will the fangs back in. "It's just that you smell so good."

"Uhm, thanks?" Sookie was caught somewhere between amusement and alarm.

"I promise I'm not going to bite you, honest! It's just that my boyfriend was still at work when I rose so I'm technically without breakfast."

"Your boyfriend? So, he's not a vampire?" Sookie asked with genuine curiosity. Sure, there was a lot of talk on the TV about human-vampire relationships but to talk to someone who was actually living it…

"No, Hoyt's human." Jessica seemed even more radiant when talking about him. "We've recently moved in together, we're planning to get married."

"Wow, congratulations!"

"Thank you, that's sweet. Of course it's not that easy because Hoyt's mother is not so keen to welcome a vampire bride into her family, even a one year-old baby vamp, but… Well, enough about me. What's bringing you to Bon Temps? And how did Sam manage to persuade you to come work for him?"

"Why… would he have to try so hard?" Sookie asked feeling that she was missing some important piece of information. The sheepish look on Sam's face only confirmed that.

"You know, what with all the waitresses dropping like flies, strangled? The police still haven't caught the murderer."

"It didn't take that much to persuade me to work here… because I didn't know I might end up being a crazy killer's target!" The last part of the sentence came out as a shout, accompanied with a glare she sent at her new boss. At least he had the decency to look guilty.

"Jessica, please go and take care of the patrons. Look," he addressed Sookie in all seriousness, "no one is after Merlotte's waitresses, ok?"

"Then what was Jessica talking about? I have a son, Sam, I'm not looking for trouble."

"I admit, Amy and Dawn died in rather gruesome and tragic circumstances-"

"So, there have been two of them!" _So far_, she added in thought. "I sure see a pattern."

"There is a pattern, just not the waitressing one. Both of them, and that third woman, Maudette, they were well known fangbangers, Shelby. Those were all hate crimes."

In short, fangbangers loved the fang and a good bang. "Hate crimes connected to vampires…" Sounded plausible, especially in the deep red south.

"You don't have anything to worry about, right?" Somehow, Sam's question wasn't only rhetorical. Sookie hoped he wouldn't ask her out, she would hate to have to turn him down. Oh the awkwardness that would follow…

"I don't," she sighed. At least not for that reason. However, could you really feel safe with a killer on the loose even if you weren't exactly their type? Perhaps she should do some brain scanning whilst on the job. It would be at least twice as tiring as regular waitressing but if it could help to stop the crime wave, she wouldn't hesitate to help.

* * *

><p>After two entire weeks Sookie still didn't pick up the faintest clue in anyone's brain that would indicate that they were the killer. That could mean two options. Either she hadn't yet met the murderer, which was gradually becoming less and less probable given the population of Bon Temps, or the murderer was a degenerate sociopath without a conscience, firmly convinced of the righteousness of their actions.<p>

Unfortunately, quite a number of people were perfectly convinced that what had happened was _right_. Sookie lost the count of rednecks who were of the opinion that those women were sluts and they deserved what they got for fornicating with them deaders. The prevalent belief was that it was a bloodthirsty vampire that ended the lives of Amy, Dawn and Maudette. Rare voices of reason argued that it was unlikely given that they hadn't been drained.

Jessica was lucky not to be able to read the customers' minds, she had enough of a hard time already being Bon Temps' only vampire. Sookie grew very fond of her, as well as of Tara, Lafayette's mouthy cousin, who had the habit of always telling it like it was and drinking her sorrows late into the night.

Life in Bon Temps agreed with both Hunter and Sookie. He hadn't had any real friends to miss back up north and was happy to live with his family in a real home, not amongst strangers. Not that she could let it show, Sookie was shocked at just how well they both fitted in. She was a born and bred New Yorker while Hunter hadn't lived anywhere else other than in a big city.

Sookie was also becoming more and more at ease with… well, with life really. She wasn't expecting to see danger lurking in every nook and cranny anymore. The jittery phase of constantly looking back over her shoulder had passed. People of Bon Temps bought her story of a single mother fleeing from her abusive ex without hesitation. As for vampires, she hadn't met any other than Jessica in two entire weeks. However, the saying about not counting your chickens before they're hatched hadn't been coined for nothing.

Sookie was behind the bar when a pair of newcomers came in, a slight glow of their skin and two voids instead of two minds instantly informing Sookie they were vampires. The female was blonde, very beautiful and wearing a permanent smirk on her lips. A black leather skirt and jacket encased her flawless figure. For some inexplicable reason, she had a pair of sunglasses perched on her head.

Even though she was quite tall, the man behind her was dwarfing her, as well as everyone else in the vicinity. He must have been 6 ft. 4 and his staggering height contributed to the air of dominance he was radiating. He was also very beautiful but in a thoroughly masculine way. His short hair was of an even paler blonde than his companion's, but his condescending smirk was perfectly matching hers.

It took Sookie a moment to realize that she had already met him before, on her very first night in Bon Temps. He was the mysterious vampire standing by the road in the middle of nowhere. A chill ran down her spine as she exercised every ounce of her self-control to school her face and body language not to show her internal anxiety.

Still, the word "vampires" quietly slipped from her lips.

"Yeah, how did you know?" asked Jessica, stopping beside her as the two vampires glided to a free table, handing out leaflets on the way. "Most people don't realize right away."

"Oh… I don't know." Sookie shrugged her shoulders, trying to appear unassuming. "Something about the way they walk, I suppose."

"You nailed it!" The red-head burst in soft giggles and hunched in imitation of the blonde vampire. "Sometimes Eric looks like an overgrown bat. I guess he thinks he's more menacing carrying himself around like that."

Sookie silently agreed with him. "Eric?"

"Yeah, his name's Eric Northman, he's the area sheriff. The vampire with him is Pam, his progeny."

"His progeny?"

"Eric is Pam's Maker, so she is his progeny, child if you like."

"Ah I see, are they your friends?" Sookie continued her discreet interview. Perhaps their presence at Merlotte's was completely unrelated to her person.

"Sorta. My maker was drained by dealers of V and as I'm still practically a baby vamp, they check on me from time to time to see that I, you know, don't go on killing sprees making a bad name for all the other vamps," she chuckled and Sookie followed suit. "I'd stayed with them for a while but they let me go, as I'm apparently so annoying. Go figure."

"Do you want to attend to them?" Sookie asked with a barely concealed hope.

"God, no!" Jessica laughed out. "I'm so glad you got that part of my old section. I mean, don't get me wrong, they're ok, for vamps," she added, "but they're not here just to say hello to me. They stop by only if they have business in the neighborhood. And they always try to steal clients for Fangtasia, that's Eric's bar, and they laugh their asses off at me for the fact that I live like a human. But that's my choice, isn't it?"

"Of course, it is. No one has a right to judge you. Self-righteous baboons," Sookie said, feeling indignant on Jessica's behalf. Apparently, Pam and Eric were in ideological vampire middle ages.

"That's what I always tell them," the red-head nodded and patted Sookie's shoulder. "You'll be fine."

"Right…" she muttered to herself and directed herself to the table of doom, as she called it, with resignation. _Hyenas,_ she thought as she saw them laughing at something loftily.

"Welcome to Merlotte's, how can I help you?" she asked upon reaching them, the most ordinary expression on her face she could muster. She tried to avoid eye-contact but after the silence dragged to border on awkward she was forced to look up from her little notepad. She didn't like what she saw. Their eyes were roving all over her body while their nostrils were flaring... Were they sniffing her? That was just plain rude. For the first time, she actually wanted to know what was going on in her interlocutors' heads.

She took a deep breath. "How can-"

"Are you in the habit of calling all your customers 'self-righteous baboons'?" Vampire Eric asked looking up at her from under his sarcastically arched eyebrows. Sookie blanched, of course they heard every word of her conversation with Jessica. Vampires and their superhuman hearing… Way to go insulting a vampire area sheriff…

She cleared her throat. "I was speaking in general… about… persons who don't believe in the constitutional right to pursue happiness… I wasn't talking about…" She trailed off seeing the vampire's smirk expanding. He looked like the proverbial cat that ate the canary. He wasn't pissed off as she initially presumed; he was teasing her. Sookie felt hot under the collar.

"Are you in the habit of eavesdropping on all unsuspecting people?" she snapped ironically.

"Oh, I was not eavesdropping." The smirk didn't disappear for a second from his overconfident too beautiful for everyone's sake face. "I simply couldn't help overhearing."

"Right," Sookie rolled her eyes. "In my experience, if you try hard enough, you can help not to hear things you don't want to hear."

This time he gave her a grin that was decidedly naughty. Of course he would be the type of guy that liked to stick his nose where it didn't belong.

"You know, not important. Would you actually like to order something?"

Eric didn't seem to pay any attention to her question.

"You're new, we haven't seen you here before."

"I would remember," the female vampire spoke for the first time and her voice was practically dripping with lechery.

"I haven't seen you before either," Sookie retaliated, deadpanned.

"Haven't you?" Eric asked with the gentleness of the wolf from the story about little Red Riding Hood. Sookie knew instantly that he remembered their first encounter as clearly as she did, probably even clearer. And she just thoughtlessly let him stick his foot in the door.

"I am going to ask you for the last time whether you want to order anything. A Tru Blood? If you don't, you should probably stop blocking the table."

"Are you on the menu?" he asked suggestively.

Sookie grinded her teeth. "I am a lady, mister, and you're going to treat me as such, or you won't be welcome here any longer."

"Fine." Pam appeared to be disappointed, chagrined and amused all at once. "O positive, AB negative. Please," she added with extra sweetness.

"Coming right up," Sookie nodded giving them an obviously forced smile that came out more like a grimace.

"Wow, I'm impressed! You captured Eric's attention." Jessica gave her a well-done thump on her back as she followed her to the back of the bar where Sam stored a few bottles of synthetic blood. "He's usually so picky. Not that you're not hot or anything, 'cause you totally are," Jessica assured hastily. "But he's usually so…_No one is worthy of my attention… I can't stand this vermin anymore… Humans have become so predictable and boring_," she recited in a low tone, producing a perfect imitation of Eric.

Sookie couldn't help but chuckle. "I treated him like crap." Which was probably a mistake of unimaginable proportions. Who knew what his intentions towards her were? He was obviously aware of the fact that she saw him that night two weeks ago when he was probably conducting some kind of illicit activity.

"Well then, treating him like crap must have done the trick. He's got dozens of women, and men, throwing themselves at his feet every day. No wonder you more than blipped on his radar if you let him know you don't think he's god's gift to women."

Great, Sookie mentally facepalmed herself. Apparently, she was doing exactly the opposite of what she intended. If only someone had warned her that cold-shouldering was such a turn-on for a horny bloodsucker.

"Damn, I hoped that I'd find some expired blood," Sookie remarked sorrowfully as she retrieved two bottles of the requested type. "Would he know it if I spat in it?"

Jessica laughed. "Hate to break it to you but he would probably take it as an invitation. Vampires enjoy body fluids , blood and tears-"

"I don't even want to go there!" Sookie shook her head and carried the Tru Blood to throw it in the microwave.

So, Eric wasn't particularly attracted to women who fawned over him… She could use that to her advantage, even if she'd pray for a lobotomy to forget what she was about to do.

* * *

><p>"Did you smell that?" Pam said excitedly as Sookie stomped away, her brown ponytail swinging indignantly. "It was delicious…"<p>

"It would taste even more delicious," he admitted, his eyes beadily watching the waitress until she disappeared out of sight, and even then he continued to revel in her titillating scent lingering in the air.

"I saw her first!" Pam gritted her teeth.

Eric let out a throaty laugh. "As if that would matter. But actually, I saw her first. I got a glimpse of her the night of the last errand for Talbot. Had I known what I would be dealing with, I would have come to find her as soon as I got back from New Orleans."

"But what are we dealing with exactly? I've never met a human with such a mouth-watering smell."

"Of that I am not sure as of now. But I will enjoy finding out."

"She's quite mouthy, and doesn't seem too friendly towards vampires. The Fellowship of the Sun, you think?"

"No, her attitude doesn't stem from what we are; she is friends with Jessica. She was angry because we didn't treat her like a lady," he said, his lip curling up into his trademark smirk.

"Oh, Eric, where are your manners?" Pam sniggered, clucking her tongue. "The barbaric era of the Vikings is long gone. You should finally embrace the modern civilized society."

"Modern civilized society should be called the new Middle Ages," Eric replied contemptibly.

"Aren't we lucky Nan didn't pick you for her mainstreaming posterboy… Oh, look, your pretty live bottle is carrying our liquid boredom. I'm not gonna drink this shit. Perhaps we could just glamour her into taking a short break outside and have a sip-"

"Pam!" he all but growled. "She is mine, don't you forget that," he warned her before Sookie was back with them to complete their order.

This time, however, there was not a trace of hostility about her. Quite the contrary, the smile plastered on her face was blinding.

"Hey back! Listen, I feel like we got off on the wrong foot and I don't like it. Like you said, I'm new and so far, I've only made friends. I want to keep it that way."

One of Eric's eyebrows skeptically rode up again, as he scrutinized her in silence. She stifled the mad urge to throttle him – not that she had any chance of succeeding – and continued to smile dazzlingly.

"What's your name then?" he asked leaning back in his chair in an imperious way that sent the clear message – I own the world. If she wasn't a fugitive running from vampires, she could call it sexy. But she really couldn't let herself deem any part of him sexy, absolutely not. Besides, the guy was simply infuriating. She just had to grin and bear it.

"I'm Shelby Pellerin," Sookie informed him eagerly. A refusal to introduce herself would look suspicious and would undoubtedly peak his curiosity. He could even have her investigated or something. She wouldn't put it past him.

"That sounds indigenous, yet you're clearly not from here."

"Well, Louisiana is not just Bon Temps, is it?" she said before she could stop herself. "Anyway, can I learn your names?"

"Don't you know them already?" Eric glanced at her challengingly.

"I guess you're right. Enjoy your blood then." She sent the most worshipping look in Eric's direction and cleared off mentally persuading herself not to puke.

"Perhaps she's not as interesting as I first thought…" Pam sighed after her departure.

"Oh, she definitely is," he argued as he listened into the hustle and bustle of the bar to stumble on her being rather short with a patron that reached the overly friendly stage of intoxication.

**Now please follow that review chapter link. ;)**

**Btw, what did you think about the last episode? I enjoyed it a lot but it was maddening as a finale, with almost every storyline left open. I was pushed off the cliff way too many times. As for Eric-Sookie-Bill scene, I had an insane urge to throw something heavy at the screen while Sookie was **_**forgiving**_** Bill… I guess silly drama trumps character growth. Oh, well.  
><strong>

**Em **


	4. Chapter 4: Mistakes

**Good evening, everyone!**

**As usual, thank you all for feedback and I'm sorry I couldn't respond to every review. I will try to do that after this chapter.**

**A couple of answers to your questions:**

**1) I should have explained it the last time but I honestly forgot. Jessica was NOT turned by Bill. I love her character and wanted her in the story but she couldn't be Bill's child as he has his own role to play away from Bon Temps at the time being, and it will actually be revealed in this chapter. :)**

**2) When Sookie's at work, Hunter's usually either with Arlene or Holly and their kids. **

**Hope you enjoy!**

**Chapter 4: Mistakes**

The rest of the shift passed by quite uneventfully for Sookie. Eric and Pam had soon left, leaving their bottles behind untouched, with very generous tips for some unknown and alarming reason. But it was hardly on her mind when she said goodnight to Sam and then to Jessica and Holly as they parted in the parking space in front of Merlotte's. She was going home to her charming old-fashioned house. Hunter was having a sleepover at Arlene's tonight so she would just have a quick shower to wash the tiredness of the day from her body and then fall into her soft large bed. She would pick up Hunter in the morning and they would have a fun day, maybe in the neighboring Shreveport. They hadn't been there yet and the city offered more entertainment possibilities than Bon Temps.

However, before she could get inside her car and delve into more detailed planning of tomorrow, the fly in her personal ointment buzzed again. Unfortunately, this fly was too big to be dealt with by a swatter.

His movements were so stealthy she didn't even hear him approach. She only discovered she was not alone in the parking lot when she caught the reflection of his face just above her shoulder in the car window as she was about to open the door. She jumped up ungracefully out of shock and turned around, the car door coming into hard contact with her back. Her heart was racing as if it was trying to break the ribs and run away out of her chest. He came for her. He either discovered her secret or decided to do her in for being an accidental witness to whatever the hell he was doing two weeks ago. What was to become of Hunter? If she could only reach into her bag for the gun or the colloidal silver… but he would surely be too fast for her.

If her brain had stopped for a second from producing the new worst case scenarios one after the other, she would notice that Eric's expression was stoic rather than vicious; although hunger fleeted through his face as his eyes observed her bouncing jugular artery, pumping blood and adrenaline through her system.

"What… what do you want?" she managed to gasp out.

His eyes slowly slid along her features to meet her wide gaze. "Something that would bring more color to your cheeks, you're awfully pale."

Sookie fought a mad urge to laugh. "Look who's talking," she muttered under her breath. What was it about that man… vampire… son of a bitch… that acted like a red rag to a bull for her? Her blabbing mouth would soon be the death of her, literally.

"Touché," he grinned. "Although, what happened to the decision to play… nice with me?"

So he had seen right through her little act, bastard… At least she could stop now. "I don't think I need to be nice to someone who creeps up on defenseless women in the dead of night, it's past midnight. My heart nearly gave out."

"Yes, I tend to produce that reaction in women," he sighed shamelessly.

"Why am I not surprised that stalking is your favorite pastime?" She threw all the caution to the wind; she'd already showed enough impertinence towards him, some more wouldn't matter. "Unfortunately, I'm not into it. Find someone else to terrorize."

She was about to make a bold move and turn around in a wild attempt to get in the car but he raised his arm and put his hand on the door before she could act on it. He effectively trapped her between the SUV and his tall body, and finally made her realize just how close they were standing. Due to the substantial difference in height she was practically Eskimo kissing his solid chest, her nose parallel to the place where his black wife beater ended to reveal the top of his pecs lightly dusted with fair hairs. She felt herself growing warm. Was there a hint of exhilaration peeking from underneath her fear…? No! She hated the arrogant prick. If only he wasn't able to snap her neck like a twig with a flick of his wrist, she'd show him.

He hunched over her so that his low whisper flew directly into her ear, making her skin erupt in hundreds of tiny goose bumps. "Ms. Pellerin, you look positively flushed. Had I known that my proximity is so beneficial to your health, I would have acted much sooner. And I know what I could do to make you feel even better…"

Sookie ignored the shiver that shook her body. Shooting down flirty remarks of a vampire was not how she envisioned this night to end. No matter how hot the vampire in question was. Wait… hot? Did she think that he was hot? Nooo! He was an arrogant prick. A vicious bloodsucker. Probably a cold-blooded killer, literally. The longer she dwelled with him here, the bigger the risk was of her exposing herself. No, not that way! "Cut to the chase, will you? I know you wouldn't be here just to chat up a small town waitress. What is it that you want?"

He straightened up and the playfulness on his face was replaced by a wilder look that was almost haunting. "You intrigue me, and that is a rare quality in a breather." His face was once again looming inches above her, making it harder for her to concentrate on his words. She looked down to his lips but it didn't help one bit. "What are you, Shelby Pellerin? What is your secret?"

"I… I don't have a secret." She gulped. "I'm just a waitress, what did you think I was?" she snorted, regaining her courage, or at least pretending to. "Besides, what do you think gives you the right to invade my personal space and grill me? I'm not questioning you about the skeletons stuffed in your closet, or your car's trunk to be more precise, for that matter. You know why? Because it's not my freaking business!" Just as she ran out of breath she realized she said a word or two too many. The dangerous smirk crawled back onto his lips.

"Yes, now that you have mentioned it, that is another matter I wanted to speak to you about-"

Sookie was again filled with dread. "As I said, your business is not my business. I wouldn't care even if you were disposing of a body," she declared.

"Ms. Pellerin, you surprise me with your perceptiveness."

"You… you were disposing of a body?" she couldn't help plodding on.

"I thought you weren't interested in my business, but just to satisfy your curiosity-"

"I'm not curious!"

"Do you perhaps remember what car I was driving that night?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "Some shiny red toy. Do you know what cars like this are said to compensate for? A lack in another department…" Okaaay, where the heck did that come from?

Eric didn't seem one bit offended; which probably meant he was very confident about that "another department".

"I will be pleased to show you around that department any time."

"No, thanks," she choked, her throat parched, as she willed her eyes not to stray down below his waistline. He was only bad news, why was she so drawn to him despite all her common sense?

"Now, about those bodies you think I enjoy driving around in my car. Vampires have a very acute sense of smell, the stench of a decaying corpse would pervade the upholstery rendering my Chevy Corvette completely unbearable to use."

Hmm, he was actually making a valid point there. Wait a sec… Sookie suddenly became self-conscious. Sure she didn't reek but she had, had quite a work out with all the rush in the bar with the frying pans and the pitchers of beer…

It must have shown on her face as Eric simply smirked and said with his tongue briefly grazing his lip, "Oh, don't you worry, you smell delicious, even after a day spent at a shifter's bar."

"Well, as long as I smell good to you, the world keeps turning, doesn't it?" she quipped back.

This time Eric was not amused by her repartee. She had been intimated by him before but somehow it seemed that she hadn't seen him truly angry until now. His face resembled that of a bristled cat with his claws out. "You are not surprised."

"'Bout what?"

"You know what he is," he hissed.

Oh, shit. Why the hell couldn't she get her act together around him? She seemed to be committing blunder after blunder, practically begging to be discovered.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she tried to argue but it didn't even sound convincing to her own ears.

He gripped her arms with a force verging on bruising. His face scrunched a little, followed by a soft click. It was then that she was graced with her first audience with Eric's fangs. They were long and looking razor-sharp, probably sharper than that. Great, would that be the last thing she'd see before she was killed? "My bullshit meter is off the charts, my sweet Shelby. I must warn you, I do not respond well to being lied to. What is that shifter to you? Answer me!"

It was either due to sheer stupidity or some misplaced sense of independence, but all her fear was instantly pushed out of her system by rage. How dare he treat her like his personal possession mere hours after they made acquaintances. What a highhanded son of a bitch he was! If those were the last minutes of her existence on this earth, then at least she would hold her head up high.

"This is not your fucking concern! You're not the boss of me, actually you're nobody to me-"

"You will answer me." She remarked with slight surprise that his voice became more collected and even more commanding. She knew the reason behind it as his words were followed by an odd pressure inside her head that she had felt only once before – when a vampire attempted to glamour her. She reacted instinctually to protect her secret. She closed her eyes shut turning her head sideways. "Don't you dare do what I think you're about to do! Don't you dare hypnotize me! I'm not a doll for you to play with! I'm my own person, I'm-" Suddenly her objections died in her throat. As she struggled against his clutch, she pushed against him and her fingers came into contact with the exposed part of his chest.

A most unusual sensation washed over her like crystal clear water from a stream as her warm hand met his cool skin. Usually, a touch enhanced the reading she was getting from a person. The thoughts came more clearly and precisely, she would see images or colours, pick up a mood. Never before had she received… a scent. Yet it most definitely was brought about by the tips of her fingers resting against his chest; there was nothing else in the vicinity that could remotely produce the smell that was filling her lungs. She was inhaling sea with such clarity as if she were standing on a shore. Salty water, seaweed, constantly drenched wood of the pier, cool breeze blowing from distant seas stealing her breath…

Heedless of his attempt at glamouring her just seconds ago, her head shot up curiously to meet his eyes. His bright blue orbs went from angry determination to an expression that she could not decipher at all. One could perhaps describe it as blank but there was something so incredibly intense in his stare. For the love of god, she could not fathom what it was. She was missing a piece of the puzzle, maybe even a few, to unravel the mystery. Wait, did she even want to delve into that mystery?

The mystifying moment broke when Sookie realized Eric had dropped his arms from hers and was no longer trying to influence her mind. She quickly removed her hand from his chest as if it had burned her. Their eyes were locked on each other for a while, until Sookie took it upon herself to diffuse the tension that descended upon them. She was exhausted, now more than ever, and her skull was practically bursting with all that had just happened. She simply craved to get home and relax.

"Eric," she said softly. "Sam is my boss and my friend, that's all. But there is someone in my world that I love more than the life itself. So please, don't contact me again."

He made no attempt at stopping her when she turned away from him and got into the car. He stood as still as a statue as she started the engine and slowly rolled out of the parking lot. Why was he so perplexed? The question swirled over and over again in Sookie's brain. Did he feel anything? Technically, he shouldn't. People were not remotely aware when she read from them. Except Eric was a vampire. She still knew so little about the supernatural world. She didn't even know she could get any kind of reading from a vampire. Well, she hadn't touched one skin to skin before so how could she know… Or was Eric the only vampire she could read? No, he couldn't be. Why would he be any special? Apart from having the body of a god of course… Sookie felt like pulling over and whamming her head against the steering wheel to break herself free from whatever trance she was in. She simply couldn't be that scattered-brained, it was too dangerous for Hunter, for herself and for innocent bystanders who could get hurt because of her.

* * *

><p>Eric returned to his sanctuary in a state of agitation that he hadn't experienced in years, decades, possibly centuries. What the fuck had just happened? Did he really act like an inexperienced one hundred year old into mainstreaming? He wasn't as soft as he was towards that girl to anybody, not even Pam. He should have intimidated her, he should have glamoured her into submission. He wanted her, more than that, he craved to feed on her and to fuck her; he couldn't remember when the last time was that he desired something with equal intensity. And yet he let her go, because he wanted something else even more, something he could not obtain by glamour for the simple reason he would not know what to glamour her into.<p>

That look on her face when she touched him… He wasn't sure what it really meant but he wanted her to look at him like that again. Only at him! That little thought sent him into a blinding rage. He grabbed the first thing he could reach – it being a remote control – and flung it across the room. It smashed against the bulletproof windowpane into tiny smithereens. How dare she love another man other than him, how dare she refuse him! He would hunt that bloodbag down and rip him to pieces for meeting her before he, Eric, had even laid his eyes on her…

Yes, even his temporarily unhinged mind realized how ludicrous it all sounded, even to himself. It made him pace like a caged lion, prone to rash ill-judged decisions and foolish blunders, like tonight. This was not how he went about achieving his goals. He was smarter than that, more cunning and calculating, thinking only about his own betterment. It was how he stayed afloat for over a millennium in the ruthless selfish world of vampires. He would rectify his mistakes tomorrow night, he would glamour her like he should have done all along.

"Eric, what the fuck is going on?" Pam stormed into the room; she was alarmed by the maker – child bond between her and Eric going utterly haywire all of a sudden. "Your emotions are all over the place."

"Leave, Pam," he dismissed her immediately. "There are times when I seek your counsel, now is not one of those times."

When it came to her master, Pam was most definitely not a quitter.

"Eric, what happened?" She looked at him with telltale alarm trying to fathom the reason behind his strange behavior. "Is it… the girl? What happened when I left? She is not human, is she? Is she a witch? Has she done something to you?"

"Pam, enough!" he growled. A panicking Pam was difficult to handle. But in all fairness, he was the one to blame. "Whether she is a witch or not I do not know, but I doubt it. She seems to be, however, well-versed in the supernatural world. She realized when I was trying to glamour her."

"Might have been a protective spell," pondered Pam.

"I didn't detect any magic. Besides, her being a witch would not explain her scent. She is something else entirely."

"Well, what is she?" Pam asked impatiently. "And… where is she? Wait, you let her go?" She correctly guessed at his reluctance to answer.

Eric scowled. "I decided it would be wiser to act once having all the information," he snapped but he knew he was just excusing his own incompetence, to his own progeny no less… "If the girl is indeed a witch, I need to be more prudent. I don't want to antagonize her."

"And I suppose glamouring her was not an option?" she snorted.

"I'll enjoy her more with her fiery attitude. Have you contacted Reuben as I told you?"

"Yes, Eric. He's already on it."

Pam decided to let the subject go for the time being; she knew perfectly well how stubborn her master could be.

"I suggest then that you put the girl on back burner until we get the results of his investigation. Unless of course you wish me to go back to Bon Temps and grab her…" she smirked.

"No? You're no fun. Anyway, onto the more pressing matters. Talbot called while you were being turned down. You're to grace his royal ball with your presence. You can relax, I'm speaking of a social event, not a piece of his anatomy. Come to think if it, I don't think he even has a pair of those."

"What's the occasion? Another anniversary for the golden vampire couple? I trust you have got a gift." That was what he had Pam for. While he couldn't be bothered with such trivialities, shopping was her second nature after vampirism.

"Not an anniversary but I've chosen a gift anyway. Helps to maintain the image of the most faithful subject," she snickered. "It's a spite party, Talbot was very chatty tonight and for once his gossip proved interesting. Queen Sophie-Anne's newest child didn't survive the turning. Allegedly, she had been her favorite pet. The queen imposed a period of mourning over the entire state. Naturally, Talbot assumed it's just the occasion to celebrate."

This tidbit of information turned out mildly interesting.

"I didn't know Sophie-Anne took charity cases," Eric remarked with scorn. It was not uncommon that a human having sustained extensive injuries or eaten by an illness would simply die in the process of turning.

"I heard the girl was undamaged, which makes me so grateful I was not turned by Sophie-Anne's incompetent fangs."

Eric was more skeptical. "If there is one thing she can do right it is producing progeny. She does it on a whim but she does it well. Her children are strong, loyal and vicious."

"I still think you did a much better job with me than her with all her kindergarten," she smiled slyly.

Eric smiled proudly and placed an affectionate kiss onto her forehead. "But of course."

"Does that mean I don't have to stay behind entertaining the vermin for once? Whatever we can say about Talbot, he knows how to throw a party."

"Fine, you can go," he chuckled.

* * *

><p>Just as Pam had related, the royal court in New York was far from being in a celebratory mood. A magnificent red-haired vampire released a high-pitched shriek of fury from her rich chaise longue.<p>

"The insufferable cocksucker! He and his good-for-nothing husband should have been staked a long time ago!" The queen bellowed and crumpled the envelope containing a party invitation she had received from Talbot, the king of Louisiana. Talbot always had a grudge against her since she beat Russell to obtain the State of New York and his consort had to settle for the Pelican State. Sophie-Anne was of the opinion that it fit very nicely. Talbot had no elegance proper for the fashion capital of the world, and Louisiana was nicknamed the child of Mississippi after all.

She normally paid little attention to his petty tantrums; she was superior to him in every respect. It sufficed to look at their hobbies. Talbot was crazy about his antique pieces of junk; she had a much more valuable collection… However, recently she had a really bad streak. Her little child telepath was snatched right out of her clutches and now her Hadley didn't make it to the other side. Anything could set off her wrath these days. And she only had herself to blame. She should have snatched Hunter the day he was house-trained. She could never stand soggy diapers in her mansion but the boy was six-years-old already. But Hadley… Hadley persuaded her it was more prudent to wait a bit longer not to raise suspicions. Only she was planning to betray her all along!

Still, Sophie-Anne regretted losing her temper when she learned that Hunter had been taken from the school. She had questioned Hadley and discovered her betrayal, unleashing her wrath. She drained the girl as a punishment, but with the clear intention of turning her into a servant whose loyalty would never waver. Unfortunately, things did not go as Sophie-Anne planned. Hadley withered and turned into dust before she could feed her blood to her. Hadley had never exhibited any special abilities other than tasting deliciously but her heritage must have flowed stronger in her blood. It was a pity, no other human in her court could equal Hadley in taste. She would never make the same mistake again, she would bind the boy to her another way.

One of the queen's guards entered the chamber announcing the arrival of the royal procurer. Almost instantly another vampire, brown-haired with a pasty complexion, came in. He was fashionably dressed but looked otherwise unremarkable, which was one of the reasons why he excelled at his job – swiftly and efficiently procuring humans for his queen.

He bowed slightly coming to a halt before her. "Your majesty-"

"Tell me you bring good news!" she snapped impatiently. "Tell me you're hot on the trail or I swear, you're going to regret the day you were turned."

The vampire's face continued to be defiantly stoical as though saying he'd already regretted that day.

"I have to inform you, my queen, that the boy's whereabouts remain for the time being unknown."

"What?" she bellowed. "Are you trying to test the limits of my patience, Compton? How many fuck-ups do you think I will tolerate?"

"I feel obliged to remind you, my queen, that the boy was not taken under my watch. I was actually dead for the day in this this very palace. It was all your day-men's blunder," he said drily.

"Never mind," she scoffed. "Am I to understand you have nothing for me? My best procurer!"

"I did not say that; I managed to confirm some of our suspicions. We seem to have been correct in assuming that someone from the Stackhouse family was involved in his disappearance. Both of your human's cousins are nowhere to be found. It cannot be a coincidence."

The queen fell back into her chaise longue. "Yes, Hadley did confess meeting with her cousin Sookie Stackhouse under glamour."

"It is a safe bet that she abducted the telepath with her brother and that they are now in hiding."

"Then find them!" she roared.

"I have been trying to do just that for the past two weeks," he explained patiently. "They seem to have vanished into thin air."

"They're simply a pair of ordinary humans! How well do you think they can conceal themselves?"

"Quite successfully, so far. It is a pity we cannot question Hadley anymore. Information about them and their habits is the key to promptly finding them."

"They have been alienated for years." Sophie-Anne shrugged, clearly stung by being reminded of her mistake. "Besides, I've done my own research when Hadley joined the court and I've only learned that Jason Stackhouse is quite handsome, but an idiot, and his sister, she is utterly… plain."

"That is what I gathered so far," nodded Compton. "Is there anything else of importance that you can think of? Did your human ever mention any friends? The relatives are all dead."

"The uncle as well?" the queen asked suddenly.

"The uncle?"

"Bartlett was his name, I believe. A child molester. His sister was Hadley's grandmother, she forbade him come close to the family, or any closer than he'd already come. Perhaps, he could be useful in some way."

"Bartlett Hale disappeared almost twenty years ago. I checked."

"So many inexplicable disappearances for one family…" she trailed off. "I want you to find them, William, all three of them, no matter the resources. They dared to defy me, I want their lives in the palm of my hand!"

She would get her telepath. If the Stackhouse siblings were lucky enough to share the delicious quality of Hadley's blood, they too would be her slaves. Otherwise, she'd enjoy draining them.

**All reviews are highly appreciated!**

**Have a great week,**

**Em**


	5. Chapter 5: Gators and Marshmallows

**Hello, fellow fangbangers! **

**Thank you for all your ongoing support. I'm also sorry if you're disappointed that Bill is alive and kicking. ;) He's too good a character to dispose of this early into the story. But remember that this Sookie is more cautious and experienced. **

**There's a bit of Hunter in this chapter, I'm glad that so many of you like his character! Also we meet Russell for the first time, and Sookie encounters an unexpected danger…**

**Hope you enjoy!**

**Chapter 5: Gators and Marshmallows**

Sookie congratulated herself on choosing the aquarium in Bossier City as the main attraction for their trip out of town. It was educational while also having many interesting features designed especially for kids, but most importantly of all, it was quiet. The aquarium was rather slow this weekend, parents were probably taking their children to see a new summer blockbuster that had opened across the cinemas as opposed to visiting the aquarium. Therefore, Sookie and Hunter could enjoy their time in a public place without stretching their minds to control the mental shields.

Currently, they were taking a few minutes' break to rest their feet on a bench in front of a great tank with colorful tropical fish. Sookie glanced sideways at her nephew. He seemed to be really content and was taking the great change in his life all in his stride. She expected the transition would be more difficult for him to adapt to but he rarely complained about anything. Sookie took a deep breath and plucked up her courage.

"Hunter, sweetie, do you like it in here?"

"Sure I do!" he smiled up at her enthusiastically. "I've never been to an aquarium before! I've only been once to a zoo with other kids from the home. But it's so much better with you! Thank you!"

"Oh, you're welcome, honey," she sighed, putting her arm around his shoulders and bringing him closer. He was such a sweet boy and it was love at first sight from the second she met him. She wanted to give him a real loving home more than anything in the world. She would never forgive herself if Hunter found himself lacking something. "Well, I'm glad you're enjoying yourself. But I was asking about… well, our new home. Do you like Bon Temps? And you can tell me what you really think, sweetie. I won't be upset. I just want to know if you like it here, if you're happy here. Bon Temps is very different from New York."

"I like Bon Temps lots!" Hunter nodded eagerly. "It's nice here, everyone is kind to me and it's quiet too. I don't hear voices in my head all the time. And everyone talks funny!" he giggled. "And I'm happy 'cause I live with you, mommy!"

Sookie was startled by his response, especially the last word. Of course they pretended to be mother and son before the world, but when they were alone he always addressed her as auntie, until now. It certainly felt wonderful to be called mommy, her heart must have skipped a beat. She had come to terms with the fact a long time ago that she would never bring children into this world, she would hate to see them struggling under her curse.

Hunter entering her life changed everything, the last weeks were amazing, barring the necessity to lie and to have to continuously look over her shoulder of course. Nonetheless, she couldn't deceive herself. She was not really Hunter's mother even if she loved him like one. One day in the future, one she could not imagine yet, they would not have to run anymore. They'd be free without the threat of vampires capturing them. Hunter would be reunited with Hadley while Sookie would have to figure what to do with her life once again.

"Hunter… you don't have to call me mom," she said reluctantly. She should have realized the situation would be more confusing to him that he was letting on.

"Oh, you don't want me to?" Hunter looked crestfallen. "I'm sorry…"

"No, it's not that!" Sookie assured hastily pulling him onto her lap. "I love you so much, sweetie, but I am not your real mom. She is in New York and you're the apple of her eye."

"I miss mommy from New York but I love you lots and lots too!"

"Oh, honey," Sookie sighed while stroking his hair.

"Is it wrong to have two mommies?"

Sookie wasn't sure whether it was more appropriate to stifle a giggle or shed a tear at his question.

"Sweetie, if you want to call me mommy… I'll be very honored and happy. But only if you really want it, okay?"

"Okay, mom!" he said happily and slid from her lap to his feet, tugging at her hand to continue exploring the aquarium.

* * *

><p>Eric observed the assembly from his post in the far corner of the room that was opened into a patio with a pool in the middle. The party at Talbot's was in full swing. He had to admit Pam was right in saying that the king of Louisiana knew how to throw a bash. Then again, pleasing an average vampire really didn't require all that much; blood and sex was all they needed, and Talbot made sure to provide enough of both. A vast selection of humans was ready to entertain the guests any way they pleased. With the speed that the things were progressing, the party would soon transform into a full blown orgy. Those were fun; pity he didn't feel like participating.<p>

His mind was almost completely preoccupied with a certain curvaceous brunette from Bon Temps, very much despite his will. The first report from Reuben had arrived just before they left Shreveport and Eric could hardly think of anything else but analyzing the intel and planning the best possible course of action. It was annoying, really, how much that woman came to consume his thoughts. He needed to possess her and soon, or he'd develop an unhealthy obsession. And an obsession for a vampire usually ended with true death.

Sadly, Reuben's report wasn't satisfyingly informative. Eric only learned dry facts. Shelby Pellerin was twenty-five, born in Baton Rouge, recently spent a few years up north, waitressing and doing odd jobs. What came as a surprise was that she had a six-year-old son. According to Reuben, the father was not in the picture, his name wasn't in the boy's birth certificate. From discreet research Eric's investigator learned, however, that Shelby was avoiding her ex, it being the reason behind her arrival to Bon Temps.

The child could complicate things for Eric. He wanted to be nowhere near snotty little human brats. But he still wanted _her_ and after all it didn't mean that he needed to go anywhere near the kid. He was also relieved to understand what she really meant when she said that there was someone she cared about more than her own life. He'd deal with him anyway if he existed but it simplified matters in a way.

Eric was pulled out of his reflections when a vampire joined him, a bloody wine glass in his hand. He was much shorter than Eric, not as impressive in his average hardly attractive body that stopped aging in his fifties. Only on closer inspection, one could tell who was the bigger fish in the vampire pond. Russell Edgington, the king of Mississippi, was three times Eric's age, he was even a millennium older than Eric's powerful maker, Godric.

"My liege." Eric bowed respectfully. While Talbot was flighty and petulant, his husband was much older, much more sensible and cunning, in short, a vampire whom you would want on your side.

"Mr. Northman," the king acknowledged him, while his snake eyes roved curiously over the younger vampire's face. "If I didn't know your inner brutal Viking, I would think you were simply bored."

"Oh, I will join in the fun, your majesty, once I fulfill my duty as a sheriff and make sure the security is at a satisfying level," he explained swiftly.

"Of course," Russell nodded with approval. "You never lose your head, Mr. Northman, which makes you the most valuable sheriff in both our kingdoms."

"You are too kind."

"One could wonder why a vampire of your talents doesn't seek to elevate his position?"

"You know I am fully satisfied with my little piece of Louisiana, sir." Eric schooled his face into a charming smile. Russell shouldn't suspect him of any ill will, especially when he didn't bear any. "Less spotlight and formal obligations. I was a prince in my human life, I despised it even then."

Edgington gave out a small chuckle. "Speaking of royalty, you know the reason for our little jolly gathering tonight?"

"I believe it is Queen Sophie-Anne's most recent mishap. From what I've been told, her human didn't survive the turning."

"There is more to the story than that. Although, only few are privy to that information," Russell lowered his voice. "Follow me, Mr. Northman." He led Eric to a soundproof richly furnished office and beckoned him to sit down.

"My sources tell me that Sophie-Anne is more enraged with something else than losing her favourite pet."

"Indeed?" Eric was now all ears.

"Apparently, the breather's son possesses some unique abilities that Sophie-Anne wants at her disposal. Well, what vampire wouldn't?"

"What abilities are we talking about?"

Russell didn't answer instantly, he scrutinized his subject before finally deciding to share the information. "We're talking about telepathy, Mr. Northman."

"Most curious," said Eric. "I have not met a true telepath in a few centuries."

"Then you can imagine Sophie-Anne's reaction when she let that little telepath slip through her fingers."

"How so?"

"It seems that she had overvalued her pet's loyalty. She had organized her son's escape. Even though the boy was under constant supervision, he disappeared without a trace."

"Surely the queen's procurers-"

"Have not been successful," said Russell. "But we will be. Sophie had her go and spoiled it. Now, it's our turn."

"How are we involved?"

"Franklin is already on it. In fact, he was supposed to be here tonight. I certainly hope his lateness is due to the investigation."

"Your majesty, permit me to say, do you think it is prudent to entrust this task into his hands?" Eric certainly didn't look forward to seeing more of Franklin.

Russell laughed jovially. "Oh, I know you're not fond of him but even you have to admit he gets his job done."

Eric decided not to argue about this point. "What is it that you want me to do, your majesty?"

"You will aid Franklin with whatever he needs to complete the assignment. I know you have quite a loyal and talented group of vampires in your purview."

"You can count on us, sir," Eric vowed solemnly, even though he couldn't feel more disgruntled. It seemed like a wild goose chase on which he didn't wish to spend any resources. And if they did actually manage to obtain the telepath? It could be potentially dangerous. Certainly, Eric didn't lead any activity that could be regarded as treason but he was no more willing for his 'kings' to know what he was thinking.

"Franklin will contact you with the details. Make necessary arrangements in case it's necessary for you to leave the area or the state. Now, enjoy the party."

In that moment, Eric agreed that being at the top of the food chain had its perks; kings didn't do anybody else's bidding.

* * *

><p>Sookie wiped the sweat from her forehead; Merlotte's was sure busy tonight and full of loud broadcasters. Thank god her mind was well rested after the previous day she spent with Hunter. The thoughts of the crowded bar were not too overwhelming but she welcomed her break with enthusiasm. She grabbed a bottle of water and her handbag, it was just the perfect time to call Hunter before he went to bed. She was about to traipse outside through the door at the back but an open window provided her with a sight that made her hair stand on end.<p>

The backyard between Merlotte's and Sam's trailer was deserted except two figures. She recognized one of them as Tara, Lafayette's brash cousin. This time she was anything but feisty. She was cowering with her back pressed against the trailer, all the while trembling and stuttering. The reason was not a mystery. A man was threateningly closing in on her. Sookie reached inside her bag and retrieved her gun. Wooden bullets or not, they would still do nicely if push came to shove. However, before she intervened, she caught a glimpse of fangs in the moonlight. Tara was being assaulted by a vampire!

That changed the situation unfavorably. Sure, Sookie had a gun and colloidal silver but none of the supernatural speed and agility that the attacker surely possessed. He would have plenty of time to duck between the second she fired and the moment the bullet reached his undead fleshed. And then he would kill both her and Tara. Hunter would be given to social services and delivered straight into vampires' waiting arms.

She could turn around and walk away now, and Hunter would be safe. Except that she could never do that. There was a human life at stake here, someone's whom she considered her friend. She couldn't pretend it wasn't happening. She would never forgive herself. But she needed a plan…

After a minute of some quick thinking, she slowly walked out, holding her gun raised in both of her hands.

"You! Get away from her!" she shouted in a quivering voice. She was pretending to look frightened, which wasn't that far from the truth.

The vampire hardly graced her with a look. "This is a private conversation, not your concern. Run along, miss," he said confidently, his speech marked with a sort of British accent.

"Take your hands off her! You're not going to hurt her!"

The vampire chuckled but moved away from Tara to face Sookie. "What, are you going to shoot me now?" He spread his arms invitingly while Tara's knees gave in under her. She was watching the situation unfold with sheer terror on her face and a quivering lip.

He came closer towards Sookie. It was disconcerting how normal he looked. He was handsome if you liked his type, had dark curly hair and a five o'clock shadow enveloping his jaw. But his long sinister fangs and a slightly mad glint in his eyes erased all semblance of normalcy. "You do realize I am a vampire? You could empty every round in me and I heal."

That was precisely what Sookie was waiting for. The vampire was ready to demonstrate his invincibility. Sookie pulled the trigger, the gun throwing her half a step backwards. The hours she had spent in the shooting range during her FBI days finally paid off. The bullet shot right into his undead heart making him explode like a bloody fountain. When he fell to the ground all that was left of him was his blood soaked clothes and a pile of scarlet goo. Tara completely lost it as a bloodcurdling scream tore from her throat.

Sookie hurried to her side pulling her into a comforting hug. "Hey, shh! It's over now! Tara, are you listening to me? It's over, you're safe now!"

She stopped screaming but her expression was still rather dazed.

"It's okay, he's not gonna hurt you."

"He's not gonna hurt me…" Tara repeated shakily trying to pull herself together. "Is he… is he dead?" She glanced at the red puddle.

"He is, truly dead," sighed Sookie. It was the first time she killed… anything, to be honest. She wasn't sure how she felt about it, even though it was the only way.

"H-how?"

"Wooden bullets," Sookie replied showing her the gun before stashing it back into her bag.

Tara nodded, still in the clutches of shock and panic. "Th-thank you, you saved my life. He would have- He wanted-"

"Tara, I'm sorry, but we don't have much time for talking right now," Sookie interrupted her, her brain working full speed. "We need to get him… well, his remains, out of here."

"What? Why?"

"We have to dispose of… him before other vampires can find him. We will both be in big trouble if he's found here."

"He attacked us!" argued Tara. "It was self-defense!"

"I know," sighed Sookie. "But they don't think like that. We… I killed a vampire. I won't walk away unpunished if, for example, a vampire sheriff gets wind of what happened here." Eric's face swam unwantedly into her mind. "Do you think you are calm enough to help me?"

Tara rubbed her temples distractedly but after a minute she appeared to be more collected. "Yeah, I'm good. We need to get rid of this shit."

"If you're a murderer in Bon Temps, where do you hide the body?" asked Sookie, wringing her hands. They were lucky the bar was so busy and loud tonight.

"I… I know!" exclaimed Tara. "Get us plastic bags from the bar, I'll get my truck. We're gonna pack him up and take him where nobody finds him. Oh, and grab a handful of marshmallows."

"What? Marshmallows?" Did Tara lose it?

"Trust me, just get them!"

Fifteen minutes later there was not even a drop of blood on the ground behind Merlotte's, all the blood goo was stuffed in the trash bag, which was not accomplished without deep revulsion, and the new partners in crime were speeding down a local road as fast as the old truck was letting them go.

"I'm so sorry I've got you mixed up in my shit," Tara apologized, her eyes fixed on the road in front of her. It wasn't easy to navigate the car as they got deeper and deeper into the forest. "It's all my fucking fault."

"Tara, you can't blame yourself for a vampire attacking you."

"Damn right, I can. He… he came to Merlotte's yesterday, his name was Franklin. I was feeling rather low, and he bought me a drink. We struck a conversation… and it was like he got me… So I thought, what the fuck, a one night stand with a vampire wouldn't hurt. But he came back tonight and he… He was batshit crazy, the motherfucker. He said I was the love of his life, that we were soul mates, that he was gonna make me his vampire bride! Can you believe this crazy shit?"

Sookie was aware of the gravity of the situation but she could barely prevent the giggles as Tara concluded her tale. In the blink of an eye they were both laughing madly, tears in their eyes, as the tension of the last half an hour was flowing out of their systems.

Tara cleared her throat at long last. "Anyway, thank you once again. I would have been dead… or worse, if you hadn't come to the rescue."

"Don't mention it. I like to think someone would do the same for me if I was in trouble."

"That someone would have to have wooden bullets at the ready. How come you've got them?"

"Oh you know. Once I heard about those murders of Merlotte's waitresses, I thought I'd be prepared, come human or vampire killer."

"Thank god almighty you had that genius idea, is all I can say," Tara shook her head and pulled to a stop near a small wooden pier that stuck out of the lake.

"Don't they always search the bottom of the nearby lake in movies?" Sookie asked skeptically as they got out. The FBI always did.

"Not here, they don't." They got the bag form the back of the truck and with a good swing, they threw it into the lake.

"It won't sink," Sookie remarked worriedly.

"Watch this," Tara said and took out the marshmallows to send them flying where the black bag was floating near the surface of the water. Almost instantly, the water swirled and a pair of jaws emerged swallowing the marshmallows and grabbing the plastic coffin, dragging it under. Soon the face of the lake was smooth again, without a trace of the plastic bag marring it.

"Gators like marshmallows," Tara broke the silence.

"I'll remember that," said Sookie, deadpanned. "For whenever I have to get rid of a body again."

"You feel okay about that?" Tara's voice softened. "It's been a hell of an evening for you too."

"I'll be fine. You?"

"Still a bit weak in the knees but it's nothing a drink couldn't cure. Now let's get back to Merlotte's. I think your break ended ages ago."

They fell into a comfortable silence on the way back. Besides, what would you talk about with your friend if you had just killed and disposed of a vampire that came close to killing you? Everything else paled in comparison at the moment.

It was Tara who broke the spell; apparently, she was determined to see some bright sides to her current predicament. "At least the sex was good. Not that I'd choose to risk my life for a good fuck but still."

Sookie couldn't help but laugh, only to ask curiously, "Was it… that good? I heard sex with a vampire is one of the things to do before the end of the world." For some reason she didn't want to delve into, the memory of Eric's gigantic silhouette towering over her crossed her mind.

"Are you asking for advice or purely theoretically?" Tara eyed her suspiciously. "Because the sex was out of this world. But if I'd had any clue what I was getting into, I'd have opted to stay celibate. I'm not getting near them again, no siree. You'd better stay away from them too."

"Oh, believe me, that's what I intend to do." She could only hope that fate would stop throwing vampires in her way.

**Will Tara and Sookie get away with offing Franklin? Will it put Sookie and Hunter in an even greater danger? **

**Please, leave a word. I welcome all constructive feedback. I allow anonymous reviews as well, as long as they're not inflammatory.  
><strong>

**Em :)**


	6. Chapter 6: The Killing Kind

**Thank you for all your wonderful comments so far! I hope you continue to enjoy the story. This and especially the next chapter bring a change in relations between Sookie and Eric.**

**Chapter 6: The Killing Kind**

"You know, the sooner you concentrate on the task at hand, the sooner you can go fuck your waitress."

"How was that helpful, Pam?" Eric scowled at his child who was watching him with a smirk, from the doorway to his office at Fangtasia. Franklin Mott hadn't made it at all to Talbot's party. In fact, he had not reported to his king for over 48 hours now, which to all intents and purposes meant he was officially missing. All Louisiana sheriffs were on the high state of alert as it was known beyond doubt that he had crossed the state border. It was imperative to find him, or at least the early results of his investigation on the telepath affair, that he was supposed to have on him.

"We have to find that idiot," Pam reminded him without her usual snark. "I don't feel comfortable with Russell breathing down our necks."

"He doesn't breathe, Pamela," he snickered softly trying to put some order into the contradicting messages he had received from his spies across the area.

"Oh, look who's channeling his little obsession," drawled Pam.

"Do you actually have any news? Or are you here just to annoy me?"

"Both." She shrugged light-heartedly. "I've just received a tip that a car stolen in New York was found… Can you guess where? In the parking lot of a certain bar in Bon Temps…"

Eric raised his eyes from the paperwork in front of him to look at Pam.

"So far the local police haven't got a clue how it made the journey south but there's a fair chance it's Franklin's."

Eric leaned back in his chair as he digested the news. "The car was retrieved at the shifter's bar?"

"I know exactly where your mind just wandered off to." Pam rolled her eyes impatiently. "You realize it probably doesn't have anything to do with your delectable Ms. Pellerin?"

"And your point is?" He eyed her challengingly, one of his eyebrows arching up.

"My point is, don't get sidetracked when you go to investigate at the bar. In this order: find Mott, fuck the waitress. Find Mott, fuck the waitress."

"Enough!" Eric growled standing up at vampire speed. The phrase "fuck the waitress" echoed in his brain with a force directly proportional to the growing tightness in his jeans. "You're forgetting your place!"

"Fine," she grumbled. "Just humor me and don't get yourself staked. You're not yourself where that breather is concerned."

* * *

><p>However reluctantly, Eric had to admit Pam was right. He was not himself where that breather was concerned. Just a whiff of her delectable scent that he caught outside the shifter's bar was enough for him to feel his exhilaration mounting. He was disgusted with himself; he was beginning to resemble a lovesick human. Why did everything about this woman send his senses reeling?<p>

He grudgingly stopped himself from entering the bar and seeking her out. The whole Franklin situation was urgent to resolve. They had been correct assuming that the stolen car had been recently in Franklin's hands. Eric went to the police parking lot where the car had been towed to this morning and it had reeked of the vampire. Other than that, he found no clues as to what happened to him. The deputy sheriff Eric had glamoured handed him all the objects found inside the car but Mott's report on the telepath was not among them… Intriguing.

So far the only trail led to and ended at Merlotte's. Eric was not a particularly skilled tracker so it was quite fortunate the last few days had been dry. Rain would have washed away the already faint smell. He could easily recreate Franklin's walk from the car to the door. He definitely went inside; there could have been witnesses but it was by no means certain – the multitude of scents told him that the place was hopping last night.

He paced around before he was finally able to pick up the scent. It went around the bar to the trailer that was standing behind the establishment. The traces indicated that Franklin spent some time around the same spot, and then the trail ended abruptly with a much stronger smell than before. His scent permeated the ground and Eric knew perfectly well how that came about. Franklin had met his true death by a shifter's dingy trailer. Eric would have laughed if it hadn't brought about more work for him. Still, he felt like offering his gratitude of thanks to whoever offed the annoying fucker instead of tracking them.

His current working theory that Franklin had been silenced by Sophie-Anne's minions seemed to be falling apart. There simply hadn't been any other vampires other than Jessica, who was working at Merlotte's. It was also unlikely because vampire assassins covered their tracks so well, they would also have erased all traces of Franklin being there, as if he would never have existed.

The shifter's scent was all over the place, as well as a number of people's who were probably employed at the bar. However, in the exact spot where Franklin met his demise, only two scents were very distinct, overlapping with each other. Eric smelled a human and most curiously… the woman who absorbed his thoughts more often than not. There could be no mistake, he would recognize that sweet nectar anywhere. He cursed inwardly. What had she done, why had she done it, and what was he going to do about it?

His thoughts were interrupted by Sam Merlotte, who chose that precise moment to take out the trash from the bar. He seemed surprised with the presence of the vampire in his backyard and was far from ecstatic about that fact.

"Eric. What are you doing here?"

"I would watch your tone when you address me. You don't get to question my actions in my own area," Eric stated curtly.

Sam snorted. "I kinda do, yeah, when you're on my land. I don't want your vampire shit on my doorstep."

"Is that so?" Eric feigned surprise only to drop his bomb a second later. "Did you tell that to the vampire that was killed yesterday on your doorstep too?"

"What are you talking about?" For the first time, Sam appeared truly alarmed.

"Oh, you're telling me you didn't sniff it out?" Eric asked derisively. "Or are you just a lame old dog?"

"I'm running a business here," Sam barked back at him contemptibly, "without slaves in my bar unlike some, so it means I'm busy. I barely even got to sleep last night, you think I had time to babysit a fanger in here?" He walked around in search of a scent and indeed he picked it up, eventually coming to the same conclusion as Eric. "Damn it, it was a bloodsucker all right," he muttered under his breath.

"There's another scent as well, isn't there?" Eric asked slyly, reading from the shifter's face like from an open book.

"At least two humans," he admitted reluctantly.

"Why so impersonal?" Eric asked mockingly. "Didn't you detect your new waitress, what's her name, Shelby?"

Panic was clearly rising in the shifter but he remained defiant. "She works here, as well as several other people whose scents are scattered all around here."

"Perhaps. Perhaps she staked a vampire."

"She would never do something like that," Sam argued hotly. "Listen Eric, she is a good girl, she really is. And she knows next to nothing about the supernatural world. She doesn't look for trouble, she has responsibilities." Eric only assumed he was talking about her son. It was interesting though just how little the shifter seemed to know about his close employee and the object of his affections. How could he not realize that there was so much more to her than just being a single working mother while he met her on daily basis? Eric picked up on her supernatural savvy barely a few minutes into their conversation.

"You care about her," remarked Eric, keeping his possessiveness in check. "A word of an infatuated shifter means little to me. Didn't you introduce your girlfriend into our world?"

Sam released a litany of swear words. "She is not my girlfriend, she is my employee, and she has no idea as to what I am."

Merlotte's naiveté was so limitless it wasn't even amusing, it was pathetic. Still, it did serve a purpose as it confirmed that Shelby's knowledge didn't come from Sam.

"Is she working today, shifter?" Eric went on, ignoring Merlotte's assertions.

"She's not here," he sighed and stared at Eric, grasping at straws. "What can I do so that you leave her be? Name the price."

"After such an intriguing declaration? Absolutely nothing," he drawled lazily. It was laughable really, did Merlotte really think he could make an offer that would interest him? His entire bar's worth equaled barely a fraction of Eric's wealth. "You will, however, not interrupt while I ask your patrons a few questions about the previous night. Take it as the payment for listening to your pathetic plea."

* * *

><p>Sookie put away the romance novel she was reading, dimmed the table lamp and stretched on the couch in the living room, reveling in the soothing atmosphere of a balmy summer night. She had a nervous day. When she arrived at work for her shift, she was unpleasantly surprised by the news that the police had towed away a car that had been abandoned in the bar's parking lot. Sookie had a good idea as to whom it might have belonged but she certainly wasn't going to volunteer to be a witness. She had been a little jumpy ever since she fed alligators with a mushed vampire.<p>

Her heartbeat sped up as she detected a presence on her front porch. She hadn't heard any footsteps, any noise at all but a hollow signature of a vampire mind was most certainly at her door. Thank goodness, Hunter was fast asleep in his room upstairs. As quietly as she could, Sookie reached under the couch for her bag; she was always careful to have a weapon at the ready. She stood up temporarily hiding the gun under the belt of her shorts. The cool metal pressed against the warm skin of her back, sending a shiver up her spine. As she deliberated what she should do, a faint knocking reached her ears. Barefoot, she crept up to the front door. A net hanging against the glass door slightly obscured the view but she was still able to make out the person illuminated by the porch lamp. Her shoulders relaxed instantly, the tension left her body, even though her mind was screaming at her not to drop her guard near the newcomer. It was Eric, the tall, blonde and dead.

She had half expected to see a vampire terminator sent with a mission to kill her. It was an inexplicable relief to see Eric instead. He was the proverbial devil, but it was a devil she knew, or at least was acquainted with.

"Aren't you going to greet your guest, Shelby? Where is your southern hospitality?" He spotted her. And he was amused, or self-satisfied. The memory of their last meeting flashed in her head, bringing the scent of sea before she willed the sensation away.

She plucked up the courage and opened the door with a sigh to see Eric's leather-clad magnificence. She brushed off her self-consciousness at his seeing her in a scruffy domestic attire. "Eric, what are you doing here? I thought that I'd made it clear that I'm not interested in seeing you, for whatever reason." The guy certainly lived by the rule of not taking no for an answer.

"Miss Pellerin, I simply adore how your mind works," he chuckled summoning an instant flush on her cheeks. "I'm here in a professional capacity. Although, we could squeeze in a bit of pleasure, or a lot for that matter, in between the business talks."

"You mean in the professional capacity of a stalker? It's really unbecoming, makes you unattractive," she quipped.

"I am never unattractive but unfortunately, we must put that discussion on a back burner for the time being." His voice turned serious and the smile completely disappeared from his beautiful face. "I'm here as a sheriff and believe me, Ms. Pellerin, you want to hear what I have got to say."

"I am a human," Sookie stated firmly, folding her arms across her chest. "I don't come under your jurisdiction."

"I don't judge it prudent to discuss it out in the open. Invite me in," he commanded.

"I don't think so." She shook her head. "I don't invite strangers into my house, people or vampires."

"I mean no harm to you or your tiny human," he promised.

"You know?" she couldn't help gasping.

"You seem surprised," he chuckled. "It is not exactly a secret. I should warn you that I always get what I want, sooner or later, it always ends up mine…" The low timbre of his voice seemed to resonate deep within her.

"And just what is it that you want exactly?" she inquired in a small voice.

"For now, your trust."

"My… trust?" she peered at him skeptically.

"I want to help you. If I didn't, this conversation would have looked quite differently."

Despite the menacing quality of the concluding statement, Eric sounded quite sincere. For some reason she wanted to trust him. Who knew, maybe if she was alone and responsible only for her own existence, she could take the chance. But not when Hunter's fate depended on her common sense.

"Why would I believe you?" she asked instead. "I don't know a damn thing about you or your motives."

"The question is, why wouldn't you believe me? Why are you so distrustful? Is it because of what I am?"

"No!" Sookie exclaimed, almost offended. "I am careful because my decisions directly affect my son. He's been through a lot already. We've moved to Bon Temps to start a new life, we're not looking for any trouble."

"Trouble has already found you," he argued softly. Sookie tried to control her breathing; she was sure he could detect her quickening pulse. What did he mean? It couldn't be about Tara's amorous psychopath, could it? If that was the reason why Eric was here, she was royally fucked. What would he do if she refused to invite him in? Burn the house to chase her out into the open?

"Why are you so afraid all of a sudden, Shelby?" Eric took up in a silky but controlled voice. "I told you that I didn't come here to hurt you. However, there are urgent matters we must discuss." He wanted to add "if you wish to stay alive" but it would scare her even more instead of making her realize she should go along with him. "Invite me inside."

"I'm afraid I can't do that," she insisted.

"Then come outside so we can talk."

She snorted. "Right. Thank you, but I'm okay like this, and safe."

"You know I cannot touch you as long as you're inside, even if you were an inch from me," he said conversationally and raised his hand. She watched as it came closer in her direction at the level of her shoulder, but before his large palm could close around the flesh of her arm it was stopped by the invisible barrier of ancient magic that prevented vampires to enter human dwellings uninvited.

During one crazy second, she was disappointed he could not reach her. She could almost feel his cool touch on her skin. Would she smell the sea again? She bit her lip as she wondered. When she looked him in the eye again, she noticed his vision was fixed on her lips hungrily.

He slowly perused her face back to rekindle the eye contact. "How do you know so much about the supernatural world, Shelby? You have knowledge that surpasses that of an average person. You are also able to use that knowledge in practice. What are you?" he asked in a whisper, coming as close to the door as he could. If he needed the oxygen to sustain him, she would have been able to feel his breath on her cheek.

"I'm no one," she shrugged. "Just a simple waitress. My ex-boyfriend, however, was a were." She was even telling the truth now. Who knew if lie-detecting wasn't one of vampires' super skills? "He told me a lot about your world."

Eric's face was completely blank, she didn't know what to make of that. "Is he the father of your child?"

"No." Again, the truth was the best course of action. Eric would probably be able to smell the lack of were blood in Hunter.

The vampire seemed satisfied with her answer. "I suggest you remain this forthcoming. Ms. Pellerin. I'm inclined to help you, which would equal saving your life, but it is now in your hands."

"Why would I require your help? I'm a human," she said calmly.

"Be that as it may, you got mixed up in a positively vampire affair."

"What do you mean? And no, I'm not going to invite you in just yet," she beat his question when she noticed his eyes sweeping the inside of her house.

"Very well," he agreed. "I'm in your charming little town of Bon Temps to investigate a disappearance of a vampire by the name of Franklin Mott." He trailed off clearly wanting to observe the impact of his words but she schooled her face into curious indifference.

"And?"

"You are a first rate actress, Shelby. I know that Franklin stopped by at Merlotte's last night and was seen to leave with a human girl, Tara Thornton, a friend of yours, I believe."

Sookie remained silent and waited for him to continue. She needed to see how much he knew before admitting to anything.

"What I think happened next was that Franklin was trying to hurt her. You saw your friend in danger and pursued. Somehow, you managed an incredible feat of ousting a hundred year old vampire."

Sookie frowned; was there a hint of admiration in his tone? Whether it was really there or she imagined it, Eric was looking at her expectantly; she had to react in some way. "This is… crazy," she finished lamely, and immediately knew she had made a mistake.

His face morphed into an angry mask; his hands gripped the doorframe menacingly blocking all of the outside world from her view. He was really larger than life in that instant, in every sense of that saying. "Do not think about lying to me!" he snarled. "I could easily glamour you into telling me the truth with no omissions. By having our little chat here I'm showing you a courtesy you wouldn't get from another vampire."

Sookie found her resolve crumbling slightly but she held her ground. "You are accusing me of killing a vampire? On what grounds? Where is your proof?"

He let out a short half-hearted laugh, clearly for her benefit. "Ah, asking for the proof – the ultimate confession of the culprit. Do you really think that my kind cares for proof when a human is involved? Your… ex-boyfriend didn't inform you well enough, it seems."

Sookie felt her blood freezing in her veins despite the high temperature outside.

"Killing a vampire is a grave offence, especially if a human is the perpetrator. With all the circumstantial evidence that I've gathered, you should be ended according to our way. Your scent is all over the place where Franklin's tracks end, it's also on the lakeshore where you disposed of his remains."

Sookie's eyes widened in fear. It was the end, he knew everything, she failed Hadley and Hunter. "Did you come here to kill me?" she whispered shakily.

Eric pushed himself off of the door and paced up and down the porch, conflicting emotions flashing on his face as if he were having an internal battle with himself. When he finally stood back before her, he was collected again. "I told you I mean you no harm… as long as you're honest with me."

She took a deep breath and met his intense gaze. It didn't ease the knots in her stomach. "I…" What was she supposed to do now? What did he want from her? It was just too much. Eric was giving her the time to process the situation; she had to give him that. Pros and cons, hopes and reservations swirled in her brain. Suddenly, she was hit with a wave of anxiousness and misgivings so strong that she had to reach out her arm to support herself against the wall. What was worst was that she couldn't fathom the source of this sensation.

"Shelby?" Eric studied her with apprehension.

"Something… is wrong…" she muttered, trying to wrap her mind around it.

"What do you mean?"

She raised her hand to silence him and he was about to reiterate when she finally made the connection.

Throwing caution to the wind, she left the sanctuary of her house like she was in a trance and gripped the lapel of his leather jacket. "You said Franklin was seen leaving with Tara, didn't you?" she questioned urgently. "Did you actually hear that from people at Merlotte's?"

"Shelby-"

She cut him off in a manner that would normally earn a death threat. "Please, it's important!"

"I questioned a number of locals under glamour, yes," he capitulated.

"Oh hell!" exclaimed Sookie and ran back into the house; Eric was so stunned by her erratic behavior he didn't even try to stop her.

* * *

><p>"Why didn't I even think of it? I'm so stupid!"<p>

Eric was still as a statue while Shelby suddenly ran inside, muttering under her breath. And he thought Pam was difficult to understand. Women… He thought he was getting somewhere with her, he definitely saw her resolve crumbling. And then she had to go berserk. He should have grabbed her when she stepped outside the doorstep but he was too dumbfounded to react. He was really slipping.

Even from the porch, Eric could hear with ease just what Shelby dashed off to do. He heard the sound of her bare feet against the wooden floor, carrying her off to another room. A minute later she chose a number on her phone, tapping her foot impatiently.

"Pick up, pick up… Please, pick up… Damn it!"

The person on the other side didn't respond, and Shelby was back with Eric in a flash, hurriedly putting on her shoes.

"Where do you think you're going?" he snapped at her. His patience was running thin. He was not accustomed to being ignored and kept out of the loop, especially not by a breather. On top of everything, he could hear a car getting nearer. If he was interrupted again, someone was going to pay.

"It's Tara!" explained Sookie, frantically calling her friend again. "She was seen with a vampire, Eric. So far every woman in Bon Temps that has been associated with a vampire has ended up dead!"

Eric was perfectly familiar with the story of the Bon Temps killer, in fact it was a thorn in his side. Every time he spoke with Nan Flanagan, he had to listen to her endless preaching on how incompetent a sheriff he was.

"She's not picking up!" Eric observed his little brunette pace feverishly manipulating her cell. "I need to call the sheriff… And to check on her myself, Andy Bellefleur is as slow as molasses in January. But I can't leave H- Josh alone!" she huffed, looking around as though expecting to see a babysitter pop up out of thin air.

Eric decided it was time to regain the control over the situation and grabbed her arms firmly to stop her running around like a headless chicken. The effect was immediate. Her muscles relaxed, her eyes went a tad unfocused, her chest started to heave as she took in big gulps of air. She looked as if she had caught a very pleasant smell in the air and wanted to inhale it.

"Stop," he ordered her breaking her stupor. "You will hyperventilate."

She surprised him again when a full blow blush blossomed on her cheeks. Her sweet blood that rushed so close to the surface of her skin was singing to him, increasing her intoxicating smell. He craved to rub himself all over her in hope of imbibing just a faint trace of her sweetness into his system. He was so engrossed into everything Shelby he paid little attention to the car that just rolled into her driveway or to the fact that Sam Merlotte was now furiously striding towards them. It wasn't until the shifter pushed him away from Shelby, thus breaking their contact, that Eric woke up from his little daydream.

His fangs descended immediately and he was in front of the shifter faster than he could blink. "Stay the fuck out of it," he growled at him, staring him down.

"I don't fucking think so!" You had to give it to him, the shifter was holding his ground.

"Don't provoke me. Unless you have booked a spot in the dog cemetery."

"Guys, guys!" Shelby's tiny form squeezed in between them pushing at both of their chests with a hand, to pull them apart. "Seriously?" She looked from Sam to Eric indignantly. "What's with the Mexican stand-off?"

"Shelby, was he bothering you?" Sam asked with concern, for which Eric simply wanted to break his neck. "I told you to leave her alone!"

"Watch your tongue, shifter, or I'll rip it out of your throat!"

"Nuh uh!" Shelby shook her head and pushed at Eric's chest to drag him away. He decided that the shifter's arrival was worth the tight hold the alluring brunette had around his midriff. Her breath tickled the skin on his neck as she laid out her argument. "There will be no tongue-ripping here, not on my porch. And keep your voices down, as well as your testosterone levels. You're going to wake up my son with your pissing contest."

"Shelby, he is bad news," the shifter kept barking. "You can trust me."

"I know I can trust you," Shelby answered quickly. "That's why I'm gonna ask you to stay in my house with Josh for half an hour or so, until I get back."

"What?" Merlotte looked at her as if she had grown two heads. "Are you going somewhere with him?"

"No," Shelby chuckled like it was the silliest thing she'd heard in a long time. "I'm going by myself, to Tara's. I think she might be in trouble."

"Wait, wait, wait! What kind of trouble?"

"I really don't have time to explain right now, I'll tell you everything once I'm back. Josh is asleep and he shouldn't wake up. He usually sleeps like a log. Thank you, Sam, you're a star." She smiled and planted a little kiss onto his check that resulted in a loud growl from the vampire. He gave the shifter a filthy look before he sped after Shelby vampire style.

"I'm sorry, but we have to reschedule," she threw at him, jumping into her SUV. "This is more impor- Hey, what do you think you're doing?" She didn't expect Eric to climb into the passenger seat beside her.

"That's precisely what I want to ask you," he quipped back but not without annoyance. "I have respected your courage but I'm starting to think it's just thoughtlessness. Or are you in the habit if tracking serial killers armed with a handbag?"

She scowled at him, riled up by both the tension of the situation and his sense of superiority. "I suppose it hasn't occurred to you that there might be a gun in there, Mr. I'm-The-Biggest-Badass-In-Town? I'll have you known-"

"Ms. Pellerin, I assure you I'll be an avid listener on the way back, I'll even ask some questions of my own. For now, shut up and drive." If he was getting involved in this madness, he could get to the bottom of this, which equaled escaping tons of paperwork due to another vampire related crime in his area and hours on the phone with Nan. Besides, he also wished to enjoy the sight of Shelby's toned legs all out on display thanks to her shorts riding even higher up her thighs as she drove.

**Any feedback is always appreciated. :)**

**Em**


	7. Chapter 7: To The Rescue

**Hello there, fellow fangbangers!**

**I'm sorry for the lack of updates during the past week but I was insanely busy. Thank you for your constant support and all the reviews.**

**Hope you continue to enjoy!**

"Unbelievable!" Sookie huffed as she dropped her cell into the little niche under the gear stick. She just got off the phone with Andy Bellefleur, who was as haughty and unhelpful as ever. "You'd think the police were there to serve and protect people! Why the hell do I even pay the taxes?"

She cast a sideways glance at her passenger as though she was expecting him to agree. A well-mannered person would. Except that Eric Northman was far from being a gentleman. The proof? His eyes were fixed on her bare thighs, straying higher with such intensity as though he was trying to see through her shorts. In spite of herself, she felt herself growing warmer.

"I certainly hope you vamps don't have an X-ray vision," she grumbled, which made Eric chuckle. Of course he would respond when the topic turned even remotely sexual.

When he spoke up he was all business, however. "When we arrive, you will stay in the car until I check whether your suspicions are correct."

"Excuse me!" Sookie bristled. Perhaps his command was sensible but that was exactly what it was, a patronizing command expected to be followed without a murmur. "I'd appreciate it if you stopped bossing me around. You're in my car, and are on my rescue mission."

"Woman," he let out a small growl. "You're testing my patience. If you know what's good for you, you will obey me."

"Spoken like a true man," Sookie mocked him. It had to be the adrenaline that was making her poke the restless predator in the passenger seat. "When were you turned exactly? Stone Age?"

"For your consideration, I am a thousand years old, which means that I'm doing you a favor just by enduring your feminist bullshit."

"It's not bullshit," she muttered but desisted arguing. Once again, she glanced at him curiously, now paying more attention to his appearance. "You're really a thousand years old? I thought people were much shorter in the past."

"I was exceptional even then," he quipped.

"Where are you from?" she couldn't help but ask. Blood drinking and killing aside, vampires were fascinating creatures to be around. And Eric, he walked this earth for an entire millennium! Oh the things he must have seen and lived through! Sookie was always interested in history, she could blame her Gran for giving her that bug. It was sad that Adele died before the Great Revelation, she would have had a blast interrogating a vampire like Eric about famous historical events. "If you're so old, you can't be from America, can you?"

He peered at her fixedly, one of his eyebrows quirked. "I was under the impression that there was a sense of urgency about the situation. Instead of formulating a feasible plan of action, you choose to… chat?"

"Maybe because if I started to think about it all, I'd imagine Tara being strangled, or killed already," she sighed.

"And you can end up the same too."

Sookie rolled her eyes; if she only could tell him about her previous FBI gig. Instead she confirmed what Eric had inferred already, "Well, how bad can I be if I singlehandedly killed a crazy vampire?"

She grinned, she seemed to have a knack for rendering the usually smooth-tongued vampire speechless. "I confess. It's all on me. You could say Tara was just a bystander."

"You are either insanely brave or incredibly stupid," he said finally, just as Sookie came to a stop by a small dilapidated house. It hadn't been renovated or even painted in years. It fell into a state of disrepair as Tara's mother had no reason or funds to take good care of it. She didn't even see the need to take care of her own daughter or even remember that she had one as long as there was a bottle of whisky within her reach. But recently, she got out of her addiction, started to lead a respectable life and on top of it all, she married a minister. Tara was now living alone in the old house with the baggage of her childhood.

The lights were out but Tara's truck was parked in the tiny driveway. Sookie jumped out the SUV and was ready to run headfirst into whatever situation awaited her inside but Eric stopped her firmly grasping her arm.

"I'm not going to stay here and wait for the cops!" she gasped trying to free herself from his grip, for what it was worth she might as well have been attempting to practice weight-lifting with a jumbo jet.

"Silence," he whispered harshly, not even looking at her.

It was an instinctual reaction for her to contradict him but she noticed that he raised his head as though he was listening to something so she kept quiet. Perhaps his supersensitive hearing picked up some suspicious noise.

"Eric-"

She didn't finish her thought as he bolted inside the house faster than her eyes could even register, producing a gust of air that swayed a loose strand of hair that had escaped from her ponytail. Worry for her friend spiking inside, Sookie dashed after him without a second thought.

She strived to keep her head cool despite the scene of destruction that awaited her. Even in the feeble light of the moon, she could clearly see the living room was trashed. Tara was curled up on the floor, gasping and gurgling, her hands around her throat. Sounds of a struggle were coming from the small kitchen on the right. Sookie turned to look just at the moment during which Eric wringed the neck of a burly man in a balaclava with the sound of an unpleasant snap resonating into the night.

Sookie crossed the length of the room maneuvering between the debris to kneel beside Tara. She was in an even worse shape than yesterday, obviously the killer had already started the job before they arrived.

"Shelby…" Tara coughed trying to ease the unpleasant pressure in her throat after being nearly strangled. "I'm… I'm starting to think you're some sorta supergirl."

"Hey, don't talk," Sookie said calmingly and helped her to the couch. "I'm gonna get you some water, ok?"

She didn't look forward to venturing into the kitchen, where she knew she had to bypass the corpse of the killer but there was no other way. Surprisingly, Eric was on the phone, talking fast in a language she didn't recognize. She decided not to interrupt him and tiptoed around the deceased that was taking up almost the entire surface of the floor. He was sprawled on his back, only his head was at an odd angle.

"Oh my god!" she cried when she got a glimpse of the killer's face; Eric must have pulled off the balaclava.

The vampire lowered the phone immediately, staring questioningly at Sookie. "What is it?"

"He…" she paused, lost for words.

"Do you know this man?"

"Yeah!" Sookie shook her head with disbelief and revulsion.

"Oh my god!" Tara appeared in the kitchen upon Sookie's scream and was equally shocked to discover the identity of her would-be executioner.

"It's René Lenier," Sookie finally explained to Eric, who was getting impatient with the two women who were close to hysterics. "He's our friend's fiancé, she's a waitress at Merlotte's, like me. Dear god, I left my son under his watch…" she trailed. She felt like throwing up.

Eric remained momentarily expressionless, only to resume his phone conversation. Meanwhile, on slightly shaky legs, Tara rushed to Sookie and threw an arm around her. "Hey, you didn't know, none of us did. The son of a bitch…"

The next two hours were exhaustingly chaotic. Andy Bellefleur and the cavalry finally decided to show up and all three of them had to give statements, much to Eric's impatience.

"Maybe you should really spend the night at the hospital," Sookie told Tara while it was Eric's turn to answer Andy's infuriatingly stupid questions. "You've been put through the ringer."

Tara gave her a tired smile. "I feel like I've been livin' a cheap movie for the last coupla days but… you know, if this can't break me, nothing will. I can't thank you enough."

"Well, to be honest, I did nothing this time," she shrugged and looked at Eric. He was sitting stiffly on a saggy coach, which thanks to his considerable height looked simply grotesque. His lips were a tight flat line of contempt aimed at blustering Bellefleur. He was still the very same Eric he always was but somehow Sookie couldn't help but look at him in a different light. She wasn't sure of what his motives were but he had helped her stop the killer from claiming his next victim. In fact, he did most of the stopping. Even the memory of him breaking the man's neck like a twig didn't make her afraid of him. And earlier that evening on her porch, just before Sam interrupted them… she got that unusual sensation when Eric touched her. She had felt as if she was transported from swampy Bon Temps straight to the seaside.

"Uh-oh, I know that look," Tara tut-tuted.

"What look?"

"I guess you didn't ask about vampire sex just outta curiosity, huh?"

"Tara!" Sookie gasped, her cheeks covering in crimson. "I don't-"

"So you weren't just eye-fucking that blondie a minute ago?" Tara asked slyly.

"_He can hear you!" _Sookie mouthed to her, her mortification rising to previously unknown levels. She chanced a short glance at him and sure, even though Eric was looking anywhere but in her direction, the right corner of his lips curled upwards in a barely there smirk.

"He saved my life and I'm grateful," sighed Tara. "But you be careful, girl, alright?"

"It's not like that!" Sookie laughed nervously.

"Ms. Pellerin." Eric appeared at her side, startling her. "It seems we are now free to go. I will escort you home."

"Escort me home?" she snorted. "I was the one who drove here and I will escort myself home."

He turned a deaf ear to her objections and gently but firmly led her outside.

"And how do you think you're going to start the car, huh?" She followed him glaring at his broad back and rummaging through her bag. "Who do you think has-"

He raised his hand casually and she spotted her key chain dangling from his forefinger.

"-the keys…" Smartass! "How did you get them, you got sticky fingers? You can't just-"

She was about to engage in a haughty tirade about respecting boundaries and other people's property but evidently, Eric had run out of his daily limit of tolerance for blabbering humans. One second she was harping on with his back as an audience, the next one she was pulled flush against his hard body, one arm firmly around her waist, the other hand securing her head, and his cool and surprisingly soft lips snugly against hers. She was securely locked in his embrace as if he was an octopus.

Her eyes widened and crossed, unable to take in his face so close to hers. Her body tensed as his mouth slid against hers once or twice, only to be followed with his tongue. The scent of sea was stronger than ever and when Eric confidently slid his tongue between her inert jaws, it became overwhelming. Her eyes fluttered and rolled inside her skull, her lids dropping lethargically. The vampire was working miracles inside her mouth.

Her brain shut off and the only thing she could do was to feel. And oh boy, did she feel… Even though Eric was a vampire and therefore had a cooler body temperature, it set her on fire. She had never been kissed like that, even by Quinn, her first and only lover. He had always satisfied her sexually and even though she knew him very well and was in love with him, he never made her toes curl with a single lip lock.

Eric's kisses were staggeringly intense and indecently erotic. They made her see stars. No, they weren't stars, Sookie realized. The lights she was seeing were swirling and shimmering with colours. The picture was becoming clearer and clearer with every brush of his tongue. She would see it in a minute, just another gentle caress, just another passionate attack on her mouth and she would…

Eric broke the kiss just as abruptly as he had pounced on her. She groaned with disappointment; the pleasurable breeze ceased to tickle her skin, the bright picture in her head flickered and dispersed. Sookie was implicitly sure it would be so beautiful…

Eric let go of her completely and she stumbled, her knees strangely wobbly. She only regained her footing when she found support against her car. Confusion enveloped her mind when Eric stalked away without a word and circled around the car to take the place behind the steering wheel. She blinked, feeling anger spiking inside her but it evaporated when Andy waddled out of Tara's house; Eric must have heard him come. She was immensely grateful for his clear-headedness. The fangbanger killer was gone but if someone caught her making out with a vamp, the gossip would spread through Bon Temps like wildfire. She needed to keep a low profile, for Hunter's sake and their safety.

She wordlessly slid into the car beside him. Eric pulled off the second she plopped on the seat. The silence between them was heavy and awkward; which was totally understandable given the fact that they were two strangers who just played tonsil-hockey. She gulped when she noticed the remarkable bulge in Eric's jeans. Well, that was undeniably flattering… and embarrassing. She would have blushed, she was never a promiscuous person, but her cheeks were already burning like a supernova.

Sookie was more confused than she remembered ever being. Was that what Eric wanted from her? Sex? Somehow she didn't think a vampire of Eric's stature and power, not to mention the godlike looks, would pussyfoot around a simple human just to get laid. She was also quite certain that he had absolutely no idea about her telepathy. If only she could see some sort of a sign as to what it was all about…

The car jumped up suddenly and her cheek flattened against the window. Sookie didn't know what that particular sign could mean but it certainly brought her back to reality. She realized Eric had taken a weedy and rarely frequented path off of the main road.

"Err… That's not the way to my house…" Her heart rate had hardly recovered after the earth shattering kiss and now it was picking up again.

"I have an excellent memory," he replied dryly.

"Are you going to kill me?" she fired up. "Cause that would be awfully bipolar… and plainly stupid as the sheriff saw me leave with-"

"Do you want me to shut you up again?"

Her jaw hit the floor. "N-no!" she stuttered. "Listen, I need to get home to my son. I've been gone too long already. And frankly, given the experience of the last few hours I'm now afraid that the man I've left Josh with might be a closet psychopath."

"No harm will come to your progeny from the shifter, I assure you," Eric's voice turned just a tad softer and Sookie swallowed a giggle. Was that the topic they could bond over? Child rearing? Pam was probably a few centuries older than Hunter but she definitely looked as if she required a lot of work.

"Where are we going?" Sookie sighed tiredly. It seemed as if this horrific day would never end.

"Somewhere we can talk uninterrupted. No, it cannot wait," he said anticipating her question.

She rubbed her temples and let him drive her to wherever he wanted. The narrow road was impenetrably dark due to the trees growing unhampered on either side.

"Ugh, have mercy on my car…" she sighed as the tree branches whipped the roof.

Thankfully, they got into the clearing. Eric stopped the car in front of what seemed to be an abandoned household. Knee-tall grass covered the entire property and even attacked the porch. The faded paint was peeling off the walls and the windows were all boarded up. A rusty truck that lost its wheels sometime during his long life rested in peace near the gap-toothed fence. It was all quite charming in a nostalgic way, and when Sookie got out, she instantly felt herself being lulled into a soothing state of serenity.

"I killed that vampire," she said calmly, wading through the grass. She knew this was what he wanted to discuss. Limited honesty seemed the best course of action at the moment. "And I don't regret it. He was completely off his rocker, wanted to make Tara his vampire bride or something. I couldn't let him hurt her. End of story," she shrugged lightly. "We hoped no one would ever be the wiser but I guess I was wrong. What is going to happen to me?" she asked, turning around to face him.

"How did you kill him?"

"I shot him. With wooden bullets."

"How exactly did you manage that?"

"I played him," she answered simply. "He thought it was an ordinary gun."

"And why were you in possession of that gun?" he asked, circling around her with his hands clasped behind his back. If it was an intimidation technique, it wasn't working on Sookie. Perhaps she had been through too many emotional rollercoaster rides over the last 24 hours.

"I bought it."

"Don't play coy."

"Eric, perhaps you're laboring under the delusion that I wanna be some kind of vampire slayer but I don't have a death wish, thank you very much. I am a single mother. If something happens to me, Josh is put into the system. So when I heard about the murders, I wanted to be prepared for anything."

"You have the spirit of a warrior," Eric said after she concluded her tale; she could not mistake the respect in his voice.

"Uhm, thank you," she smiled wanly, her nervousness returning.

"You are welcome," he nodded coming to a stop before her, his eyes boring into hers. "Tell me, did he have any documents on him?"

"Uhm, I don't know… I didn't feel like going through his pockets. You guys make quite a mess when you move on to the great beyond, if I can say so."

"That is not what I was asking about. Did Franklin have any files on him? Did you take anything of his?"

"No, I didn't see any files. Trust me, he was not interested in paperwork at that moment." Sookie let out a tired sigh. "Eric, what does it all mean for me and my son?"

"Personally, I believe you have earned a reward."

"What?" she uttered with disbelief, craning her neck to meet his eyes.

"I was hoping that someone would, what is the right expression, get him out of my hair." Sookie eyed him quizzically. "Franklin Mott had a penchant for bad romance, so to speak."

"Tara wasn't the first one…" Sookie said slowly.

"Not even close."

She had no illusions that Eric held human life in such great esteem, he probably disapproved of Franklin because of the mess he had to clean up after him. Strangely, she didn't hold it against him and she couldn't fathom why. She was raised a Christian with very high moral standards. Why did it come so easy for her to accept the workings of the supernatural world?

"Franklin was a nuisance," Eric continued. "Unfortunately, he was also the favorite private investigator of the King of Mississippi."

"Fuck." Sookie went white as a sheet. Fucking fantastic, she could just start a collection of vampire monarchs she had personally pissed off. "I'm screwed," she whispered.

"No, you are not," Eric said firmly but Sookie didn't seem to notice.

"Just tell me, Eric, is it punishable by death?"

"If the offender is a human, yes, usually. But the king will not know anything about your involvement."

"How so?" Her voice was barely audible and strained, not strong and impertinent as he liked to hear it when she verbally sparred with him.

"Firstly, Franklin was not supposed to be nowhere near Bon Temps cavorting with a human. He was on a mission for the king, who was expecting him in New Orleans."

"New Orleans?" Sookie hated herself in that moment for feigning confusion. But she couldn't show how much of vampire politics she was aware of.

"Yes, his husband is the puppet king of Louisiana. But that is of little relevance for now. The king suspects that Franklin was abducted by enemies from another state. He never needs to know the truth."

"You would… lie to your king?" she gasped.

"It happens." Somehow Sookie suspected it didn't happen all that often.

"You would do that for me? A mere human?"

Eric's face turned stony. "Do you want me to take you before the king?"

"I'm just trying to understand why you would risk so much for me. You barely know me… I'm just another breather for you."

"You… intrigue me," he muttered, his blue eyes roving all over her face except her eyes.

"Is that all?" she probed. Annoyingly, her heart sped up as she waited for his answer.

"You may think that is not a reason enough, Shelby, but when you live as long as I have, few things surprise… or captivate you."

Her breath caught in her chest at the strangled quality of his voice. "And there was me thinking that I infuriated you," she smiled at him. "What is that you want from me, Eric? Let's be frank."

He seemed to be contemplating his answer. He must hold her in high regard as he decided to be open with her about his intensions. He closed the already small distance between them and confessed hotly, "I want your trust… so that I can fuck you and feed on you whenever I please. I want to claim you as mine."

She was close to spontaneous combustion. Her face burned as if it was on fire, she cocked her head and pushed her ponytail back in the hope that the night air would cool her down. The gesture brought a completely opposite effect. She accidentally uncovered her jugular for the vampire to feast his eyes upon. She knew it pulsing like mad; she felt the throbbing of his heartbeat in the remotest parts of her body. She officially stopped denying to herself that she was attracted to him.

"What does that entail? To be claimed?" She was genuinely missing that part of vampire education. "Oh, so that the vampire can fuck and feed on the human whenever they please…" Sookie realized.

Eric's lips turned up in a tiny smile. "There is more to it then that. As my human, you would have my formal protection. Any attempt at harming you would be punishable by death."

Sookie stared at him, wide-eyed. Now, wasn't that a tempting aspect? Having your own vampire bodyguard. But being reduced to being a simple possession? Everything inside her stormed against the very concept. However, there was Hunter to be considered in the great scheme of things.

"So, you will protect me from the king… if I become your human?" she said slowly.

Eric's expression hardened. "It is not an ultimatum," he said coarsely. "I could have simply glamored you into complete obedience."

"Why didn't you?" Sookie asked quietly. It was so easy to forget sometimes that he was unaware of her ability to resist mind-control. How come the devious blood thirsty vampire didn't try to glamour her except for that one time in Merlotte's parking lot?

Eric hunched over her and all she could see was his beautiful stormy eyes. "When you yield to me, and I know you will, I wish it to be out of your own will."

Her breath hitched as her wayward mind formulated one decadent scenario after another. It was quite out of character really; she'd never felt so physically drawn to a man she'd barely known before. She gathered her wits about her. "So you will help me regardless? Even… if I decide not to…?"

"Correct."

She took a few steps away from him, being in such close proximity to him befuddled her brain. Grass stalks tickled her calves as she strolled to the relic car; it must have been at least fifty years old. She defied her feminine squeamishness and jumped up to sit on the back with her legs hanging down. She stared at her grimy hands.

"Thank you, Eric." She finally smiled at him. "This is very generous of you."

His eyebrows rose quizzically. "You continue to surprise me, Ms. Pellerin."

"I keep surprising myself lately," she chuckled. "I know that your world has different rules than mine, even if I find some of them unacceptable or outright barbaric. And in the end, all I want is to keep my son safe."

He nodded in understanding.

"So, I appreciate all that you've done for me… but I'd rather not get involved with you in this way," she said nervously. "For… so many reasons."

"I did not think you would agree right away," he announced following her to where she was sitting. He didn't stop until his jean-clad thighs grazed her knees. If he only took one step further, they would surely open for him. "But you will, my future lover."

She bit her lip, an act that instantly drew his eyes. "You are awfully sure of yourself," she commented, without a hint criticism, however.

"I told you I always get what I want."

"What…" she stifled a yawn with the back of her hand; the excitement of the last two days was taking its toll. "Sorry, what are you going to tell your king?"

"At this point the less you know the better. Rest assured, he will not know of any human involvement."

"Will you be okay?"

"Why, is that concern you're showing there for me, Ms. Pellerin?" he quipped.

"What if it was?" she asked defiantly.

Instead of answering, he turned away from her. "I will take you back now. You seemed eager to leave before."

Sookie didn't pursue the subject any further and followed him back to her car. The ride home passed in silence. It probably wasn't in Eric's nature to make light conversation while Sookie was simply too tired to do anything else other than stare at the dark blur of landscape outside.

It wasn't until they arrived that Sookie asked him, finally realizing something, "Where is your car?"

"I didn't get here by car, it would draw too much attention." He handed her back the car keys, tracing his thumb tantalizingly over the inside of her palm.

"You ran here all the way from Shreveport?"

"Actually, I flew."

"You… can fly?" she gasped. "Do you turn into a bat too?" That sounded idiotic even to her own ears but there was little that could surprise her now.

He laughed fully. "Goodnight, Ms. Pellerin."

"Goodnight, Eric." She smiled and pressed a small kiss to his cheek. He smirked at the direction of her house, one glance over her shoulder told Sookie that Sam was watching their exchange from her porch and probably wasn't thrilled about what he was seeing.

"We will meet again," Eric promised passionately and soared into the air with no effort at all, leaving Sookie staring open-mouthed at his form shrinking in the sky.


End file.
